Judge William Craig Hall

Judge William Craig Hall, age 71, resident of Collierville, Tennessee and husband of Melinda Cox Hall, died Monday morning, 03 December 2018 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Funeral Services for Judge Hall were conducted at 11 A.M. Thursday, 6 December, 2018 at Collierville United Methodist Church – Sanctuary on the Square. Interment followed in Magnolia Cemetery in Collierville.

Judge Hall was born 07 January in the year of our Lord 1947 in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of the late Ralph Goodman Hall and Ruth Craig Hall. He was a 13th generation Southerner and including his grandchildren, his family has lived in Collierville for 6 generations. He was a graduate of Collierville High School Class of 1965, where he served as Vice President of his Senior Class and Co-Captain of the Collierville High School Football Team. Upon graduation, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served with the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Newport News, the US Navy Second Fleet Flag Ship, where he was Marine Orderly to the Captain of the ship, then to the Admiral of the Second Fleet. During his time aboard ship he was a member of the Second Fleet Marine Detachment Silent Drill Team.

He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from University of Tennessee at Martin in 1971, where he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. He received his Degree of Juris Doctor from Cecil B. Humphreys School of Law at Memphis State University in 1973 and was admitted to the Tennessee Bar on April 27, 1974. He was admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in 1975, admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit in 1975 and the Supreme Court of the United States in 1990. He has served as Municipal Judge of Collierville, Tennessee since 1983 and was appointed Judge of Rossville, Tennessee in 1983. He also served as a judge in Piperton, Oakland, and for many years in La Grange and Grand Junction. He served as the Lead Prosecutor for the City of Memphis, Division 8, DUI Court in 1977. He practiced law for 45 years along with his associates, Richard F. Vaughn and Artie A. Byrd, Jr., and has been rated by his peers at the bar as AV® Peer Review Rating which is the highest legal ability rating and ethical standing rating available from The Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Ratings.

Judge Hall was very involved in many fraternal organizations that included Collierville Masonic Lodge #152 F&AM, Scottish Rite, York Rite and Al Chymia Shrine in Memphis. He was also a member of the West Tennessee Historical Society, the National Rifle Association and the Marine Corps League, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and Sons of the American Revolution. He was a lifelong member of Collierville United Methodist Church and was a communicant of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Collierville, Tennessee.

Judge Hall is survived by his wife of 42 years, Melinda Cox Hall of Collierville, TN; two sons, William Craig Hall, Jr. of Phoenix, AZ, Charles Alexander Hall and wife Laura Ellis Hall of Collierville, TN; his daughter, Virginia McGinnis Hall of Collierville, TN; his sister, Mary Jean Hall Smith and husband Bobby Smith of Collierville, TN; his brother, Ralph Goodman Hall, Jr. and wife Francie Hall of Valley Crucis, NC; and five grandchildren, Michael Brennan Ilsley, Ethan Frank Ilsley. Charles Alexander Hall II, Harper Ophelia Hall, and Elizabeth Ruth Hall, and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents, his son, John Wright Hall, preceded him in death.

The family requests that all memorials be directed to Collierville Masonic Lodge #152 F&AM, 106 N. Main Street, Collierville, TN 38017, at www.collierville152.org or the Collierville VFW Post 5066.