Elsie Hall

Elsie Lee Phipps Hall, 89, of Fayetteville, went on to her Lord on July 19, 2025, with her family by her side.

Elsie was preceded in death by her husband Robert Lee Hall; her parents, Stanley Fletcher Phipps and Margie Phipps (née Cain); her infant brother Stanley Phipps; and her brothers-in-law Dr. Daniel Kirksey Hall and Franklin Delano Hall.

Elsie is survived by her children, Robert Stanley Hall, Sharron Beth Brown (née Hall), and Michelle Marie Rutherford (née Hall); and her grandchildren, Sarah Elizabeth Brown, Brandon Robert Rutherford, Jenna Anne Rutherford, and Jason Robert Rutherford.

Elsie was born November 14, 1935 in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Throughout her life she loved God, education, music, and her family above all.

Known as “Brains” in school, Elsie was part of the final graduating class of the original Fayetteville Senior High School (now Fayetteville Terry Sanford High School). After high school, Elsie attended East Carolina University for her degree in elementary education. It was at ECU she met her beloved husband, Robert Hall. Robert and Elsie were married in 1957 and lived 45 happy years together, raising three dear children, until Robert’s passing in 2002.

Elsie’s greatest passion in life was music. Throughout her life, Elsie served as the pianist and organist for several churches in the Fayetteville area, including Haymount Free Will Baptist, Hay Street United Methodist Church, Haymount United Methodist Church, and the Fayetteville VA Medical Center’s chapel. For many years, she proudly served as the pianist for the Church Women United, a diverse women’s movement that promotes peace and justice through worship. Elsie taught piano to many children and adults in the Fayetteville area. Although her students offered to pay her for the lessons, she never accepted a dime; to her, it was payment enough that others now had music in their lives. And she was charitable with her musical gifts: for many years, Elsie regularly volunteered (as pianist and singer) to entertain nursing home residents across the entire Fayetteville area, where she always took time to visit the lonely, sick, or dying to chat and pray.

Although Elsie always said she didn’t believe in favorites, her family knew she secretly had a few. Her favorite foods were cinnamon flavored. Her favorite songs were written by gospel singer-songwriter Dottie Rambo (especially “He Look Beyond My Faults”). Her favorite game was Scrabble. Her favorite movie was the 1956 classic, “Giant,” the first movie she ever saw and one of her earliest dates with her husband. And her favorite book was the Bible.

She was deeply loved by her family, friends, and community. In lieu of flowers, the family requests friends and loved ones just take a moment to sing along with their favorite songs and to consider donating to arts organizations that support childhood music education (e.g., the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra).

Arrangements by Herring Funeral Care & Cremations.

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