Julia "Judy" Kennington Hall

Julia Kennington Hall

Judy Hall, age 77, passed away peacefully in her home on October 20, 2020, surrounded by family and loved ones. Judy was born on February 6, 1943 in DeFuniak Springs, Florida to James “Dick” Rigdon Kennington and Eldora Thorne Kennington.  Judy grew up living in the small community of Red Bay and graduated from Walton High School, and following graduation, Judy earned her cosmetology license after attending what she always referred to as “Beauty School” in Dothan, Alabama. Judy married Benjamin “Benny” F. Hall on December 7, 1961, and they settled in Ponce de Leon, Florida, where Judy continued her profession as a “Beautician” for many years.   She later closed her beauty shop and joined her husband in managing numerous small businesses in both Holmes and Walton Counties.  Those businesses include a grocery store, a gas station, a hardware store (“Hall’s Hardware”), a construction company, a portable-building manufacturing plant, a sod-farm, a laundromat, a mobile home park, and an apartment building.  And those are just the enterprises that immediately come to mind. 

Judy is survived by her devoted son, Patrick Lee Hall and daughter-in-law Christine Wisner Hall, of New York City;  her two grandchildren, Kennington David Hall and Cai Lee Ann, who loved their “Granny” beyond measure; by her younger brother, Kent Kennington and adoring nieces and nephew, Mahlie Polson, Lara Kennington Edwards, Emily Kennington, and Spencer Kennington; her loving aunt Betty Stafford who is now 90; her sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Randy O’Steen and Laney Hall O’steen;  Judy’s niece, Tracy M. O’Steen, who will love and miss her forever; her best friend of over 50 years, Robbie Fouche; and numerous other cousins, great nephews and nieces and extended family who will miss her dearly.  Judy loved each one of these people deeply and touched their lives in innumerable ways. 

Judy is preceded in death by her husband, Benny, on October 27, 2000.

Judy was a woman of great compassion and unlimited generosity.  She had a talent for picking out the perfect pair of earrings and knew how to tell a great story.  She loved to laugh, to praise the Lord, to spend time with her friends, and to (as she would say) “piddle” in her yard.  She was beautiful both inside and out.  But most of all, Judy loved her family and instilled in them strong values that will serve them well for the remainder of their lives. She was an example of unconditional love.  Judy was quite simply a wonderful woman, a good friend to all.  Her kindness cannot be overstated. 

Judy was a long-time member of her beloved Grace Baptist Church in Ponce de Leon, Florida.  This church was a place of solace and comfort to her, as were the people that made up her “church family,” including Paul Davis, her pastor, and his wife Debbie, a dear friend.

A time of visitation will be held Saturday, October 24, 2020 at Grace Baptist Church of Ponce de Leon from 10 until 11 a.m. A brief graveside service will follow at New Ponce de Leon Cemetery beginning at 11:30 a.m. with Pastor Paul Davis officiating.  

We ask that all respect the family's wishes and wear a mask indoors, outdoors and maintain social distance.

There will be a post-pandemic Celebration Memorial Service in 2021. We hope you will join us then.

The family thanks you for your love and support during this difficult time.

Arrangements and services are under the direction of Davis-Watkins Funeral Home.

John 14:1 

Let not your heart be troubled.

Acts 17:24-27 

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”