By Jane Nambi

The wife of Hallmark Cards chairman, Adel C. Hall has passed away at the age of 81.

Hall died Saturday after collapsing unexpectedly at a home in Hawaii. According to Hallmark Cards spokesman Steve Doyal, Hall had just finished breakfast with her husband and “was working on email when she suddenly felt lighted-headed and collapsed.” She was married for almost 60 years.

Born in 1931 in Lincoln, Neb., Hall was active in several Kansas City organizations, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and was a board chairman of Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. Hall also held leadership positions on several boards, including the United Negro College Fund, the Points of Light Foundation and the American Academy of Pediatrics. She became the first woman to hold the title of Kansas Citian of the Year when she was named in 1990. She was also the first woman president of the Heart of America United Way and was a board chairman of Children’s Mercy Hospital and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.

“Adele was interested in a broad range of community needs with a special passion for the needs of children,” Doyal said in a release. “She was tireless working toward those interests in any capacity needed – as visionary board chairman, energetic champion and catalyst for change, hard-working committee member, dedicated fund-raiser or hands on volunteer.”

Funeral arrangements are pending. Hall is survived by her husband, two sons, and several grandchildren.

“This is a day of great sorrow,” said Sarah F. Rowland, Chair of the Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees. “We loved Adele dearly, and she and Don have made a profound impact on the museum and the entire community. For us, Adele was a pillar of generosity and support, and we will deeply miss her kind spirit and her leadership.”