Chester Lafayette Hales

Chester “Chet” Lafayette Hales, Jr. of Tacoma, Washington passed away at the age of 86 on Monday, April 2nd in his home at Merrill Gardens. Born April 23, 1925 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, he was the son of Chester Lafayette Hales, Sr. and Emma Jean Hales, nee Addams. In 1943, towards the end of World War II, at the age of 17, he joined the Army Air Corps When the war was over he was discharged from the Army Air Corps and began attending college and met the love of his life, Dorothy (Dot) Womack. He reenlisted in the Air Force and Chet and Dot were married in 1948 just before he shipped out to Japan. During his 27 years of service on various bases in the U.S. and abroad, 5 children were born: Sharon, Robert, Carol, Anne, and Patricia. Chet enjoyed many outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, and bow hunting, as well as building and flying remote controlled airplanes, and playing volleyball and softball and shooting pool. He loved the Pacific Northwest, deciding to retire here for its beauty. Many memories were made on family drives to Mt. Rainier, hiking and picnicking, and enjoying the scenery. He loved dominoes and card games, especially bridge. He played (and usually won) bridge games several times a week right up until his death. Chet had a special love for bluegrass music and attended many bluegrass festivals with his friends. In memory of Chester, donations can be made to his favorite charities, Cal Farley Boys Ranch, P.O. Box 1890, Amarillo, TX 79174 or Hope House Inc, 7696 Old Bruneau HWY, P.O. Box 550 Marsing, ID 83639.