Daniel Hal Silcox, Jr., DDS

Daniel Hal Silcox, Jr., DDS passed peacefully in his sleep on July 16, 2022, after an extended battle with Alzheimer’s. Born on May 1, 1934, in Charleston, SC, he was the first child born to Nettie Hurt Silcox and Daniel Hal Silcox, Sr. At age three, Hal and his family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida and then to Sarasota where he graduated from Sarasota High School in 1952. He enrolled at Emory College in Valdosta, Georgia, but transferred to the Atlanta campus of Emory University on the closing of the Valdosta campus in 1953. An accomplished student, Hal was offered a spot in the Emory School of Dentistry following his sophomore year of college. He graduated from Emory’s Dental School in 1958 with a degree as Doctor of Dental Surgery.

While at Emory, Hal joined the Chi Phi Fraternity and later the Xi Psi Phi Dental Fraternity. One fateful day, Hal’s Chi Phi fraternity brother, George Romberg, asked Hal to take his younger sister Caroline to a fraternity dance. Over the next few years, the relationship between Hal and Caroline fully blossomed, and they were married August 31, 1957. They remained happily married for almost sixty-five years.

After graduating from Emory Dental School in 1958, Hal was one of three graduates chosen to serve in the Army Dental Corp. He trained in San Antonio and was posted at Fort Rucker in Daleville, Alabama. Their first child, Katherine Elizabeth (Beth), was born on December 31, 1958. After completing his military obligations and achieving the rank of captain, he moved his family to Atlanta to start his own dental practice located in Collier Hills. Their second child, Daniel Hal III, was born on January 12, 1961. After becoming frustrated with the slow pace of the growth of his practice in Atlanta, he took the advice of his father-in-law, Conrad J. Romberg, and moved his family and practice to Gainesville, Georgia in late 1961. He practiced dentistry in Gainesville for thirty-one years before retiring in 1992.

Hal became very involved in the Gainesville community beginning as a member of the Jaycees and Kiwanis Club. As an active member of the First United Methodist Church, Hal served on the Administrative Board where he was chairman for two terms. He also participated as a Stephen Minister, usher, and in various other church capacities. He was on the Board of the Christian Education Center, serving as chairman one term. Hal gave his time and dental talents freely to the Hall County Health Department, providing dental service to those in need for no cost. He also donated his skills on a dental mission trip to Jeremy, Haiti.

Hal’s great passions, other than the love of his life Caroline and his family, were art, gourmet food, and gardening. Hal’s passion for art lead to the creation of over 300 works in different mediums. His studies in art took him and Caroline across all 50 states and Europe. This love of art also included service on the board of the Quinlan Visual Arts Center where he was president for two terms. 

Hal is survived by his wife, Caroline Romberg Silcox, his daughter Beth Maentz (Tom), his son Hal III (Deborah), as well as his grandchildren Elizabeth Ashford Silcox, Thomas Scott Maentz III, Daniel Louis Maentz, and Daniel Hal Silcox IV. He is also survived by his siblings Kay Silcox May, Hardy Silcox (Sheila), Gene Silcox (Jorine), and many nieces & nephews.

The family would like to thank the staff of The Phoenix at Lake Lanier and Golden Rule Hospice for their loving care during the final stages of his illness.

A Memorial Service will be held at Gainesville First United Methodist Church, 2780 Thompson Bridge Road, Gainesville, GA 30506 on Saturday August 13, 2022, at 11:00 am, and A Celebration of Life reception will be held following the service at the Chattahoochee Country Club, 3000 Club Drive.  In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Gainesville First United Methodist Church, the Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green Street, Gainesville, GA  30501, or United Way of Hall County, P.O Box 2656, Gainesville, GA 30503.

Those wishing to send online condolences to the family may do so at littledavenport.com

Little & Davenport Funeral Home and Crematory, 355 Dawsonville Highway, SW, Gainesville, Georgia 30501 is in charge of arrangements.

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