Captain Doris "Granny" Hale
Harmony Volunteer Fire Department, TX

Cause of Death: Heart attack
End of Watch: March 18, 1988
Date of Incident:  March 18, 1988
Age:  66
Rank: Captain
Status: Volunteer
Badge Number:  N/A
Tour of Duty:  16 years
Final Alarm: 11125 South Foster
Nature of Death: Heart attack while returning from grass fire.





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Captain Doris Pearson "Granny" Hale operated and drove a pumper truck.  On the way home from a grass fire on Gillette Road, she was driving the truck and became ill with severe chest pains.  Captain Hale pulled the truck over and asked someone else to drive.  They took her back to the fire station where she was still walking and talking.  When she became worse, they took her to a hospital.  She died from a heart attack.  

Captain Hale was born in Copperas Cove and grew up in Belton, where she graduated from High School.  She married Ace R. Hale on August 22, 1938.  While he was off serving in the Navy during World War II, she moved to San Antonio and worked at Joske's.  Captain Hale became a firefighter in 1972 when the chief asked firemen's wives to become volunteers as most of the men worked during the day and couldn't leave their paying jobs to fight fires.   Granny was a folk hero.  The firefighters thought the world of her.  Her daughter stated "My mother was always willing to try something new.  She was game for about everything and knew she must be prepared to put out every type of fire , whatever its cause."  At many of the daytime fires, she and three other women were all the volunteers the chief had.  Captain Hale was a member of the Elmendorf First Baptist Church.

Firefighter Doris "Granny" Hale was survived by her husband, daughter, son, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.  She was buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.