Woodstock, Vt. —
Patty, as most of her friends knew her, was the first of six children born to Peter Newell, and Barbara Gage Hall. Raised in Woodstock, she was a voracious reader, and as a child, received the Library’s Summer Reading Award. She was also known for her fascination with sports, a passion, which, after her graduation from Woodstock High School, led her to the University of Miami, to pursue her dream of becoming the country’s first female sportscaster. It was there she met the first of her four husbands, marrying musician C. Carson Parks.
Following their brief marriage, and the birth of their son, Patty went to work for McFadden Publishing in New York, where she met and married her second husband, publicist Ronald Salk.
Following the birth of their daughter, the family lived for several years in Barnard, Vt. then on to Malibu, Calif. where, a couple of years later, she and Mr. Salk divorced.
Patty joined the proud ranks of emancipated women, working full time to support her family, first as a secretary and then as manager of architectural firm, B. A. Berkus & Assoc., and later as administrative assistant in the export division of the James B. Lansing Speaker Corporation.
Patty and daughter eventually returned to Woodstock, where she established a secretarial service business and became co-owner and operator of Pete & Bills Grocery Store. It was then she reunited with high school friend, Charlie Soule, who became her fourth and final husband.
In 1980, they relocated to Lake Wales, Florida where, in the years before retirement, she was the office manager of a doctors’ clinic. She and Charlie embraced many new and wonderful Floridian friends, and celebrated the best years of their lives.
A killer at canasta, dominos, and jeopardy, and blessed with a thunderous laugh, Patty, never without a book in hand, lived a tremendous, happy life. In her final chapter, for over a year, her brother Pete and his wife Sharon lovingly cared for her in their Woodstock home, where family and friends were always welcome.
Pre-deceased by younger brother Jerry Hall, and her last, great love, Charlie, Patty is survived by siblings Peter, William, and Robin Hall, Lea Cohen, their families, as well as her own children, Richard Parks and Jennifer Salk, three beloved step-children, Frank and Glenn Soule and Calista Brennan, and eight treasured grandchildren.
We will miss her dearly, as it is so hard to turn the final page. Per Patty’s wishes, there will be no memorial service until her burial in the summer.