GRAFTON: Harold (Hal) W. Teto of North Grafton, MA, loving husband, father, grandfather, and uncle, passed away at home on April 6, 2020, at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife and soulmate of 41 years, Diane, of North Grafton; his daughter Ann Higgins and husband Jude of Germantown, TN; his son Mark Teto and wife Nico of Sarasota, FL; and his son JR Teto and wife Emma of Littleton, MA.
“Papa Hal” will also be missed by his nine grandchildren: Matthew, Mark, Christopher, and Samantha Higgins; Michael and Caroline Teto; and Helaina, Liam, and Lily Teto. He was predeceased by his son, Glen Teto, his parents, Harold and Margaret Teto, and his younger brother, Glen Teto.
Anyone who knew Hal knew how important his family was to him, particularly his children. Whether it was a friend, a business acquaintance, or one of the doctors or nurses caring for him, all heard about his children, their lives and achievements, and saw the love and pride he had for them.
Hal was born in Hartford, CT and spent most of his life in Arlington, MA, where he played hockey before graduating from Arlington High School. He also lived in Woburn, MA and Concord, MA, and spent many summers at Lake Winnipesaukee in Laconia, NH..During the Korean Conflict, Hal served with the U.S. Army Security Agency, stationed in Hokkaido, Japan. He spent some of his time there playing ice hockey with the Far East Armed Forces Ice Hockey Association. He continued to be active in the ASA Chitose reunion group and returned with them to Japan for several reunions.
After the service, he attended Northeastern University, where he received both his Bachelors and Masters engineering degrees. He worked in Industrial Engineering at GE, Raytheon, and Sylvania before joining GTE in Needham, MA, where he spent 29 years before retiring in 1993 as Manager of Industrial Engineering.
Starting as a young child, Hal’s heart was always at Lake Winnipesaukee, where in the 1940s, he and his parents tented while building their lakeside cottage. He loved the quiet of the lake and of the NH forests and continued to go camping there as an adult, when his family joined him.
Hal inherited a love of music from his parents. He had wonderful memories of playing the piano, which his mother had taught him as a boy; after retirement he spent many hours playing the ‘old music’ that she had taught him.
Hal and Diane loved to travel, meeting people and learning about history and other cultures. They shared many happy memories of time spent in the Canadian Rockies, Japan, Egypt, Italy, and the Bahamas, as well as much of the US. At last count, they had been to 28 of the 50 states, favorites being Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, and Florida.
Hal was a great conversationalist and loved to exchange stories with others. He was also known to be honest and non-judgmental. An avid hockey fan, he rarely missed a Boston Bruins or Beanpot Hockey Tournament game on TV.
Contributions may be made in Hal’s name to the Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service Trust (cst.dav.org), or to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (forestsociety.org).
Arrangements are being handled by Roney Funeral Home in North Grafton. Because of the current state of emergency, the family will wait until summer to hold a private celebration of Hal’s life.