Sylvia Raqual Hall

SYLVIA RAQUEL HALL Sylvia Raquel Hall, 79, passed away Feb. 16, 2013, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Sylvia was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico, in 1934. Following the loss of her mother, her father took her to Brooklyn, N.Y., at the age of nine to live with her three brothers and two of her three sisters. Sylvia went on to graduate from Business College and went to work for a Wall Street Law firm. While visiting her older sister in San Juan, in 1962, she met her husband to be, Charles, on a blind date. After a brief courtship, they married and moved to different Naval stations from coast to coast including Hawaii, finally settling in Oxnard in 1971, with their two sons. When their sons reached school age, she went to work for the Hueneme School District as a Bilingual Teacher’s Aide at both Hueneme Elementary and Parkview Elementary Schools. She would often run into former students who would thank her for the time she spent with them. She retired in 1998. In 1985, Sylvia, along with their two sons convinced her husband, Charlie, to let them raise a guide dog puppy. With both sons off to school, raising and training the puppies really became a partnership between her and Charlie. Many times along the way, Sylvia would say, “That’s enough, no more puppies!” When it was time to turn the puppy in for training though, she was always ready to get another. As her health declined, it became too difficult to continue and they had to give up something she really enjoyed. The couple raised 20 puppies and helped with many more. Sylvia is survived by her husband of 50 years, Charles M. Hall, of Oxnard; their two sons, Steven Hall (Shelley and grandson, Harley) of Fullerton, John Hall (Rebecca and granddaughters, Shannon, Ryann, and Lauren) of Modesto; sisters, Elsie Lopez, Elia Gorra; and brother Jaime Morales, all of Edgewater, Fla. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 2, at 2 p.m. at Perez Family Funeral Home, 1347 Del Norte Road, Camarillo. In lieu of flowers, Sylvia would have asked that donations be made in her honor, to Guide Dogs of America, 13445 Glenoaks Blvd., Sylmar, Calif. 91342. Assisting the family with funeral arrangement is the Perez Family Funeral Home in Camarillo. Tel: (805) 983-3457. Please sign Sylvia Hall's memorial at www.camarillomortuary.com