William Hallager passed away peacefully at his home in Lincoln, New Hampshire, on Dec. 2, 2014. He joins his wife of 57 years, Jean Adams Hallager, and is survived by four children (William Hallager, Karin Martel, Christina Thomas, and Anne McGonagle) and eight grandchildren (Willow Hallager; Rachel and Matthew Martel; Nicholas and Kensi Thomas; and Erin, Caitlin and Morgan McGonagle).Born William Martin Hallager on July 8, 1925, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Bill grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1939, his parents, Sigurd and Ida Hallager, along with Bill, his brother Sigurd, and his sister Lois, moved to Scarsdale, N.Y. There he attended Scarsdale High School, where he captained the chess team, pursued sports and embraced American culture. In 1943 he was accepted to Dartmouth College as part of the Navy's V-12 pilot training program. He began a life-long bond with the college and met Jean Adams, who was working in the registrar's office. His Scandinavian heritage earned him the nickname "Swede" with his ski and hockey buddies. After Bill completed both a BA and MBA at Dartmouth College (Classes of ‘47 and '50), Jean and Bill were married and Bill embarked on a 36-year career at Texaco.Bill and Jean made their home in Pleasantville, N.Y., where Bill focused his inexhaustible energy as Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop No. 1 and Senior Warden at St. John's Episcopal Church. In 1986, when Bill retired from Texaco, he and Jean moved to Lincoln to enjoy golf, skiing, and grandchildren. He served as treasurer of Loon Mountain and on the boards of North Country Center for the Arts (NCCA), Profile Golf Club, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, Littleton Regional Hospital, and the New England Ski Museum. In recent years, Bill became dedicated to the relocation of the NCCA theater, which opened in 2012 as Jean's Playhouse.Bill and Jean were awarded Outstanding Volunteer Leader awards by the Northern New Hampshire Foundation in 1998, by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives in 1999, and by the Linwood Chamber of Commerce in 2006. In 2010, the New Hampshire Theatre Awards honored him with the Matty Award, in recognition of his vision and tenacity in the development of Jean's Playhouse. Two years later, he was presented with the 2012 Lifetime of Service Award by the North Country Region of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Church of the Messiah in North Woodstock, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Jean and William Hallager Fund, Dartmouth College, and Jean's Playhouse.

--Manchester Union Leader, Dec. 5, 2014