Shirley Hall and her husband LeRoy are pictured. Submitted Photo.

Shirley Hall liked to stay active.

Her love of dancing and traveling to all parts of the country and abroad easily prove that. But to her kids, the Chautauqua County native always put family and education first — from cross-country trips to national parks to serving on parent-teacher associations.

“We went on lengthy vacations to see Yellowstone, the Pacific Ocean,” said her son, Dana Hall. “I think back on those years, they were the highlight for all of us. I have lots of photos of the trips. And the car, it was not air conditioned, but I have fond memories of those trips.”

Hall — who operated a dairy farm for many years with her husband LeRoy, became a beautician in a career that spanned more than two decades and square danced her way across Western New York — died May 3 at the age of 90 due to complications associated with the coronavirus.

Shirley Irene Hall was born at WCA Hospital in Jamestown to Clayton and Jessie Nickerson. She married LeRoy Albert Hall, who served throughout World War II on the USS Indiana, before the pair settled on their farm in Charlotte Center.

Dana Hall said his mothers always had a strong work ethic, a trait likely picked up during a time of economic downturn in the United States.

“She came up during the depression years,” Dana Hall said. “That experience upon people taught you to be frugal and to work hard. I think she had that high level of ethics, to always being good to your neighbors.”

While still working each morning and evening on the farm, Hall went to school in Olean and became a professional beautician.

When their barn in Charlotte Center was destroyed by fire in the early 1960s, the family moved to a new home built on Bard Road in Cassadaga, where Hall set up her own business in one of the rooms.

“Some extra money was always valuable,” Dana Hall said of his mother taking on another career while his father worked at a steel mill in Dunkirk. “She always wanted to carry her share of the load. She focused on doing women’s hair and stuff like that. To my knowledge, she had no background in it – other than maybe with the person who did her hair. It was just an opportunity she felt she could take on and still have an office in the house.”

Education was certainly a priority for the Hall kids: Dana, Daryl and Denise. Shirley Hall was a member of the parent-teacher associations for Sinclairville and Cassadaga elementary schools. She also served on the Cassadaga Valley Central School Board for a brief period.

Being close to the schools helped reassure Hall that her children were receiving a good education.

“School was very important to her,” Daryl Hall said. “Mom, she loved the family. She always enjoyed staying very active, and she taught us a good worth ethic.”

Hall, who was a member of the Methodist churches in Charlotte and Sinclairville, operated her small business for 25 years. She and her husband toured Europe together, but also found time to square dance locally.

When LeRoy passed away, Hall relocated to Crystal River, Fla., where she resided for many years. She was later moved to a nursing facility near Charlotte, N.C., where her daughter lives.

“We have said it then and we do now, the facility was well-maintained. We’ve had no second thoughts about it,” Dana Hall said of the nursing home. “Somehow the virus got into the place. Within ‘X’ amount of weeks, it was wreaking havoc.

“We all look back and wonder what we could have done different, but I don’t think there was anything we could do. Mom began showing those early symptoms, and it was pretty obvious she was infected. Even if we had some foresight, where would we have housed her?”

Dana Hall has heard the news on the number of COVID-19-related deaths at nursing facilities. However, he noted that his mother lived a long, well-traveled life, full of friends, family and dancing.

“She made it to 90,” he said. “That’s a pretty good run; she a Dad did a lot and saw a lot.”

Added Daryl Hall: “We love her, and she will be missed.”

Hall was preceded in death by her husband; a first-born son, Dale; a sister, Claribel Lewis; and a brother, William “Buster” Nickerson. She is survived by her three children; four grandchildren: Michael, Ryan, Justin and Stephen; and two great-grandchildren.

She will be laid to rest in the family plot at the Cassadaga Cemetery. The family said a commemorative event will be held this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation to “your favorite charity in memory of Shirley, other COVID-19 victims, and the many heroes who routinely keep us all fed, safe and well.”