William H. (Hal) Hyatt Jr. passed away unexpectedly Nov. 9, 2023. He was born in East Orange and resided in Little Silver. He graduated from West Orange High School, Middlebury College, Columbia Law School and received a Master’s in tax law from Boston University.
At the time of his retirement, Hal, known in the business world as Bill, was a partner in the firm of K&L Gates. He concentrated on environmental law and related litigation, particularly Superfund matters.
Hal was very active in the community, having served on the Rumson Borough Council, the Oceanic Free Library Trust and the Rumson Country Day School Board of Trustees. He was a member of the Seabright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club, the Rumson Country Club and the Seabright Beach Club. He also served on the board of directors at Skytop Lodge in the Poconos.
Hal leaves behind his wife of 59 years Karen Detweiler Hyatt; his daughter Hillary Tidwell (Rusty) and grandchildren Jimmy and Abigail; and his son William H. Hyatt III (Brandy) and grandchildren Tyler and Andrew.
Hal loved family time; nothing made him happier than a gathering with the children and grandchildren and playing with his golden retrievers. In years gone by he enjoyed building dollhouses for his daughter and helping his son build model airplanes. He also enjoyed traveling and no sooner was he back home than he was planning his next vacation.
A memorial visitation was held Nov. 15 at Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank. In lieu of flowers please consider donating to the Little Silver EMS at littlesilverems.org/donate or Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue at dvgrr.org.
This article originally appeared in the November 16 – 22, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
