Sammie Blaine "Bunny" Hall

Evansville/Madison-Sammie Blaine “Bunny” Hall, age 83, passed away January 30, 2011, at her daughter’s home in Evansville, WI. She was born August 4, 1927, in Roanoke, VA, to John and Helen (Smith) VanSickler. Bunny attended UW-Madison. She met Donald, a pharmacy student, while “paired-up” as biology lab partners to dissect a frog! They married August 1, 1947, and lived in Wisconsin Rapids. Bunny will be most remembered for her adventuresome spirit and her unconditional love of all creatures. Her life was devoted to helping others. She was active in aquatic safety and instruction, including coordinating disability and senior citizen programs for 35 years. She served others as a volunteer with many years involved in Girls Scouts, YMCA Camp and Special Olympics. Bunny loved being outdoors camping, hiking with her dogs, bird-watching, collecting mushrooms, canoeing, snowshoeing, skiing and scuba diving. Highlights of her travels included swimming with manatees in Florida, falling out of a boat onto a grey whale off Baja California Peninsula, and frolicking with wild dolphins in the Caribbean. She completed 495 dives worldwide, including 12 trips to the Fiji Islands. At home she was always expressing her creativity, most recently designing and making stained glass art, studying Native American flute music, and tending to her floral garden and bonsai plants. Bunny was a loving mother and grandmother to her immediate family as well as to a widespread “extended” family. She will be sorely missed by all who had the good fortune to have been touched by her spontaneity, enthusiasm and generosity. Bunny is survived by her daughters Mary Kaye (Paul) Engel of Evansville, WI, Samantha “Peggy” (Bob Keller) Hall of Incline Village, NV, Carol (Dennis) McQuade of Madison, WI, and Donna Oikarinen of Madison, WI, five grandchildren, Roberto McQuade, Miguel McQuade, Lisa (Dan Kaufman) Oikarinen, Justin (Danielle) Oikarinen, Jennifer Oikarinen. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband (in 1995) and her two infant sons, David and John. A celebration of Bunny’s life will be held this summer in Wisconsin Rapids. The date and time will be published later. In lieu of flowers, the family is establishing a memorial fund to donate to several of Bunny’s favorite non-profit organizations. Please contact Samantha Hall toll free at #866-758-0761, PO Box 3427 Incline Village, NV 89450 or e-mail at: samanthalhall@yahoo.com