Chester Philip Hals

Chester ìChetî Philip Hals, age 95, formerly of Barnum passed away on Friday, Feb. 13, 2004 at Hillcrest Health Care Center in Rush City.

Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19, at the Barnum United Methodist Church. Visitation will be one hour prior to services. Rev. Lee Kantonen will officiate. Pallbearers will be Rick Hals, David Hals, Ron Hals, Charles Hals, Tom Hals and Phil Hals. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery in Barnum.

Arrangements entrusted to Northland Funeral Home in Cloquet.

Chet was born on Oct. 19, 1908 to Edward and Grace (Holman) Hals in Stark, Minn. His father was running the Stark Store at the time of his birth. When he was six years old the family moved to North Branch. A few years later his father bought the dray line. They started with three teams of horses and in 1920 bought their first truck. Chet graduated from North Branch High School in 1928. There were 22 graduates and he was class president. After graduation he kept busy working the dray line with his father and brothers.

Chet met Thelma Gilbert while working on a job in Barnum. They were married a short time later on New Yearís Day 1934 in a quiet ceremony at Thelmaís family home during the depression. They were both baptized at the Barnum Methodist Church in August of 1934. From that time on they were very active members in their church. They moved to Barnum in 1940. He went to work for the Carlton County Highway Department. In 1941, after a cut in pay and finding it hard to make ends meet, he took a civilian job in Newfoundland for two years operating a shovel on the dock building a naval base.
In 1943 he returned to Carlton County Highway Department and six months later he was drafted into the army at the age of 35. He served stateside and was discharged in 1945. He became Barnum town clerk in 1948 and became mayor of Barnum in 1952. He was Justice of the Peace ìuntil it was outlawedî sometime in the 1970ís. Chet retired from Carlton County as superintendent of mainte-nance in 1973.

Chet and his wife loved to entertain friends and relatives. Although they never had children of their own, there were always children around them. He had a woodshop behind his house. Chetís love for woodworking showed with the many beautiful things that came from that shop. In the later years of his life he and his two brothers, Bud and Ollie, made eleven teacarts and 40 childrenís glider swings.

He is survived by one brother, Edward (Bud) Hals of North Branch, and many nieces and nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews as well as many other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife of 48 years, Thelma, brothers, Eldon (Al), Marion (Slim), Carroll (Charlie), and Keith (Ollie), sisters Verna and Mildred.

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