Honoring Tradition.
Celebrating Life.
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Navarre Hale

June 16, 1989 - June 23, 2022
Grand Rapids, MI

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Visitation

Thursday, June 30, 2022
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes
Van Strien Creston Chapel
1833 Plainfield Ave., N.E
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
(616) 361-2613
Driving Directions

Visitation

Thursday, June 30, 2022
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes
Van Strien Creston Chapel
1833 Plainfield Ave., N.E
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
(616) 361-2613
Driving Directions

Service

Friday, July 1, 2022
11:00 AM EDT
Ada Bible Church - Knapp Street Campus
3869 Knapp Street NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Map

Bowling Fundraiser

Saturday, July 9, 2022
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM EDT
Westgate Bowling Center
4486 Alpine Ave NW
Comstock Park, MI 49321

$15 for 3 games and shoes
All proceeds will go to Lindsey Hale to help with expenses.

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

To the funeral home to help with expenses
1833 Plainfield Ave NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
(616) 361-2613

Checks and cash may be mailed or delivered to the funeral home. Donations by credit card: please call our office with donation information.

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Ball Park Floral
8 Valley Ave.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
(616) 459-3409
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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Print

Energetic, fun-loving, and outgoing, Navarre Hale had a huge heart and poured himself into whatever activity he was pursuing at the time. He loved people and embraced life fully, enjoying the gifts of powerful relationships and an inspiring sense of adventure. At every turn, Navarre gave his best; he faced challenges with courage and resolve and explored new possibilities with curiosity. A cherished son, husband, brother, uncle, and friend, Navarre was a gift to all who knew him.

1989 was a year of great promise in our nation and the world. As the Berlin Wall fell and the Cold War ended, students protested oppression in China's Tiananmen Square, and America freed the people of Panama from the tyranny of dictatorship, freedom rang from every corner of the globe. Nowhere was there more hope than in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as R. Steven and Ashleigh (Han) Hale welcomed their son Robert Navarre into their hearts and home on June 16.

Named Robert, following family tradition, he always went by Navarre. Growing up, Navarre enjoyed the good company of his two younger brothers, Spencer and Gunner. Close in age, the brothers had a lot of fun together. From the start, Navarre was outgoing and naturally charming. He was easy to love and naturally drew people to him. He attended Oakview Elementary and Northview High School, where he enjoyed many friendships and made great memories.

Navarre was a person other people wanted to be with. As early as preschool, his natural gifts for leadership attracted both peers and adults alike. Whatever he did or approved was well received by others. Had a good sense of humor, and sometimes, even if he wasn't that funny, he naturally had a way of getting others to laugh along. He was a trendsetter, certainly for his brothers (frosting the tips of his hair), but others would follow too. When he entered a room, the dynamics instantly changed, not because he demanded attention but because of his heart. A natural conversationalist, Navarre fit into any group. Age never mattered; he got along with everyone, including his friends' parents and later his nieces and nephews.

A good kid, Navarre always loved sports. Whether playing in an organization or backyard football, basketball, and baseball with neighborhood friends, he gave his all and had a lot of fun. Over the years, he enjoyed playing hockey for a while, skateboarding, snowboarding, and karate. His true passion and drive were discovered when he started wrestling. He loved the sport and devoted himself to being his best. With unwavering determination, he worked hard at growing his skills, even running with the cross country team for a couple of years for conditioning. He often practiced at home on the mat in the basement, teaching his younger brothers to wrestle too. When younger brother Nathan was old enough, he enjoyed teaching him the sport too. With tremendous dedication, patience, and persistence, he taught Nathan everything he knew. It is no wonder that Navarre still holds a record at Northview High School. The most recent sports he was into were golf and bowling, often practicing both at home and joining multiple leagues.

Navarre loved adventure. When he was younger, his family enjoyed going to theme parks once, hitting four parks in one two-week vacation one time. His dad would give the boys money for arcades, and Navarre would be content watching his brothers play while he kept his money in his pocket. When the right time came to buy something much more expensive, he would take out the cash he had saved. He enjoyed traveling and wanted to see the world. He had the opportunity to go to Hawaii, take a cruise, and explore other destinations in the U.S. Navarre also loved food, especially his mom's cooking, pizza, Asian and Mexican food, and ramen noodles; he was a bit of a ramen connoisseur.

As a junior in high school, Navarre was drawn to freshman Lindsey Blok. The following summer, he and Lindsey both attended a Campus Life trip in Colorado. Throughout the trip, Navarre found as much time as possible to spend with her. The pair began dating his senior year. Their first real date was likely Jet's pizza in a parking lot; he sure did love his pizza. They enjoyed time with friends and family; he liked being an uncle to both sides of the family. He loved to dance, and enjoyed rollerblading with Lindsey, something she liked and he would go along with. After 13 years of dating, Navarre proposed. A year later, on their 14th dating anniversary, the happy couple married on September 3. 2021.

After graduating from high school, Navarre began working and took a few courses at Grand Rapids Community College. He worked in a few different industries through the years, starting with Triton Technologies. When that proved not to be the right fit, he moved to jobs with some of his friends. He enjoyed cooking and was quite good at it. He took his skills and worked through the years at Bostwick Lake Inn, PF Changs, and McFadden's. More recently, he joined family members in construction trades. He traveled with his brother across the country, building 7-Eleven stores. He also worked a variety of other construction jobs where he learned the various construction trades, including framing, finish carpentry, and flooring. Driven by perfectionism, he would spend time on YouTube learning a new skill before having to do it at work. Then once on the job, he would put his learning into practice, proving faster than anyone else.

Navarre was always well-liked, had a large group of friends, and kept busy. It was rare to catch a slow moment with him, but if you did, it was time well spent as well. He blazed a trail of fun times and influences on family and friends. Navarre was blessed to share wonderful friendships and unwavering love from family; however, his life was not absent of struggle. Without a doubt, our days with Navarre were far too few and they were rich beyond measure. It is this richness that we will long hold in our hearts as we carry his legacy of love, kindness, fun, and adventure forward.

Navarre Hale, age 33, of Grand Rapids, passed away on June 23, 2022. Navarre is survived by his wife, Lindsey; his parents, Ashleigh Hale, Steve & Lisa Hale; parents-in-law Jim & Debbie Blok; siblings Spencer (Ellynn) Hale, Gunner (Molly) Hale, Nathan Hale, Allison Hale, Cody Burns; brothers-in-law and sister-in-law Brandon Blok, Justin (Lauren) Blok, Aaron Blok; nieces and nephews Vada, Elliana and Cohen; grandparents Bob Hale, LueAnn, Denhof, and Bob Homrich; many aunts, uncles, and cousins; as well as numerous friends.

Family and friends are invited to visit with Navarre’s family on Thursday from 2-4 & 6-8 PM at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home – Van Strien Creston Chapel. The service to remember and celebrate his life will be held on Friday, July 1, 2022 at 11 AM at Ada Bible Church, 3869 Knapp Street NE. His family suggests memorial contributions be made to the funeral home to assist with expenses. To read more about Navarre, to share a favorite memory or photo, or to sign his guestbook, visit www.heritagelifestory.com

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