Hallet “Hal” Lee Brown II passed away suddenly on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, at the age of 73 in Statesville, N.C.

Born in Hampton, Va., in 1948 to his late parents, Hallet Lee Brown and Margaret Morris Brown, he was raised in Gates County, N.C., until he joined the Army at age 17. He spent three years serving in the Army, including being stationed in Korea and deployed to Vietnam. Following his service, he worked on Apollo Missions 10 through 13, assisting on the moon landing, until he joined the Air Force and served 18 years, being stationed throughout the United States and Germany, until his retirement at the rank of Master Sergeant in 1990.

Hal was an avid fisherman, hunter, and overall admirer of nature. He also loved to travel and discover new things, having been to all 50 states and several countries. He was an honorary member of the Drum Hill Hunt Club. Over the past several years, he has enjoyed regular social gatherings with several local friends in Gates County and then in Statesville.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Ruth Roloff Brown of Statesville; daughters, DoriAnn Muller and her husband Timothy Muller of Newport News, Va., and Halletina Lee Higginbotham and her husband Michael Higginbotham of Mooresville, N.C.; as well as three grandchildren, Margaret Higginbotham, Kyndall Higginbotham, and Michael Higginbotham Jr. His siblings, Anne Wilson and Donna McCuiston, both of Chesapeake, Va., and Jim Brown of Eure, N.C., also survive him, along with several nieces and nephews.

Service to be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday August 23, 2022, at Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, Va.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Wounded Warrior through woundedwarriorproject.org per Hal’s request.

In the words of Hal, “Tiddy Rump, Tiddy Rump, Tiddy Rump Rump Rump.”

Troutman Funeral Home is serving the family.