David Lee Hale, 82, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, died on June 13, 2026. He was born on February 27, 1944, in Iowa City, Iowa, and spent his life woodworking, cracking jokes, and wearing boots.

David served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, a period which left him with a lasting love of boats and lighthouses. He rejoined his parents in New Mexico, where he met his future wife, Becky, raised a family, and opened the doors of The Collector's Item, a custom wood furniture and cabinet shop.

David had a rare combination of an artist's hands and an architect's mind, which let him turn cramped galley kitchens into beautiful, functional, storage-rich spaces, and replace sad pre-fab furniture with gorgeous, custom built-ins. He also taught woodworking at Del Norte High School. The shop he started lives on today as Hale Cabinets, run by his son (and best friend), Eric.

At home, he was an avid do-it-yourself-ist, building and rebuilding and rebuilding the family house over the years, moving walls, porches, and hot tubs the way the rest of us move bedroom furniture -- often with the help of his school-aged kids clambering across the roof after him, OSHA standards be damned.

Though he could seem quiet, David had a wicked sense of humor -- if you found yourself coasting down a hill completely out of gas, or overhungry at a restaurant with a 90-minute wait, or wondering exactly how much weirder the interaction with the cellphone salesperson could get, he'd mutter a one-liner under his breath that would have everyone rolling.

And critically -- you'd never catch David Hale without his cowboy hat and boots.

David is survived by his wife, Becky; his son, Eric, and daughter-in-law, Elsy; his daughter, Mindy, and daughter-in-law, Pamela; and his three grandchildren, Brandy, David, and Jorie.

A wake will be held Saturday, June 20, from 2 to 6 p.m. Please reach out to Eric at (505) 288-7082 for details (text only, thank you).