Dorothy Deanne Keaton Hall

Dorothy Deanne Keaton Hall, passed at age 86, from Alzheimer’s disease, surrounded by family and friends, in her home by the sea.

Born in Winfield, Kansas, Dorothy married and raised her family in Orange County. She was a beautiful woman – a winner, even, in the Mrs. America contest – and widely talented; but what is remembered best is how much, and how well, she loved her children. Dorothy was an unusually progressive mother for the ‘50’s: interested, encouraging, accepting, and always, a champion for her children.

Dorothy had a full life as a photographer, collagist, potter, and diarist – an acute observer of the telling detail. Kind, sweet and understated, she was, underneath her shyness, a creative, directed and opinionated person.

She earned a teaching degree in the early 60s, and taught school for awhile; then she volunteered, for decades, for the Orange County American Cancer Society and the Share Our Selves food bank. She loved, and rescued, animals as well.

Dorothy was, quietly, an extraordinary person; her life, so calm on the outside, so intense on the inside, will always be a beacon to her family and many, many friends.

Dorothy’s beloved husband, Jack Newton Hall, died in 1990; her sisters, Orpha Thiesen and Martha Olsen, also died before her. She is survived by her children, Diane Keaton of Beverly Hills, Ca., Randy Hall of Laguna Beach, Ca., Robin Bevington of Sharpsburg, Ga., and Dorrie Hall of Los Angeles; also by her son-in-law, Rickey Bevington; and four grandchildren, Riley and Jack Bevington, and Dexter and Duke Keaton.

A memorial will be held at Casa Romantica - 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, Ca. 92672; telephone 949 498-2139 - on Sunday, November 16th, from 11a.m. to 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dorothy’s memory to the UCI Foundation. Mail to: Dr. Claudia Kawas, c/o UCI, 1121 Gillepsie, Irvine, CA 92697-4540. In memo please note Dorothy Hall/Kawas Research.