Dozens honor a local hero who succumbed to pancreatic cancer with a long workout

APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY) - Dominic Hall continues to impact lives even after his death. He survived impressive stints in the military and in law enforcement - however, he couldn’t beat the cancer. The illness claimed his life last September.

“He was one of those rare people, he never complained, he was just the strongest mentally and physically, said Shannon McKay, a longtime friend.”

Dominic Hall was a 33-year-old husband and father of two sons.

“When he was passing, when he was sick, he kept saying that something beautiful is going to come of this, that something beautiful is going to come of my death and I just know that my death isn’t going to be in vain,” remembered his widow, Jacole Hall.

To honor his life, Full Send Fitness hosted an extra grueling workout, dedicated to Hall’s life.

“So it starts out with 12 minutes and 23 seconds of box step-ups and that represents ruck marching, it’s something that special operations soldiers do a lot of, and 12:23 represents the time that he died,” Shannon McKay explained.

Hall is remembered as a wise, humble, and reserved man - and as a great role model.

“When you spoke with him, he was so thoughtful and very mindful with the words that he used, that when he spoke you listened,” reminisced Captain Gary Lewis from the Appleton Police Department.

Hall’s cancer diagnosis was reportedly a direct result of exposure to radiation - chemicals and contaminants while serving overseas. Now, Hall’s experiences are helping others in the military community to receive earlier and faster cancer diagnoses.

“As far as continuing to help people, that was just his mission in life, you know, if not me then who? So he was always out there doing the work so others could be saved as well,” said Jacole Hall.

Jacole Hall added that her husband never expressed frustrations about any of his military assignments where he was exposed to these chemicals, even after receiving his cancer diagnosis. She stressed that her husband never regretted serving his country.

“Continuing to help people, that was just his mission in life, you know, if not me then who?” Jacole Hall said. “He was always out there doing the work so others could be saved as well.

Now, Hall’s experiences are helping others in the military community to receive earlier and faster cancer diagnoses as ‘veteran zero’ at the HunterSeven Foundation.

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