Otis Hale was born at Truce, Texas. He moved with his family from Truce to several Oklahoma towns as he grew up. As a teenager he hunted and worked at a number of jobs to assist the family. When the family moved to the East Texas oil field in 1930 Otis started working full time in the oilfields. He was a sturdy, tall, strong, bright young man at a time when strength of body and character were highly regarded. In the oilfields he was known as "Lightening". 

He married Ruby Harris in 1935 when he was 21 and she was 17. Otis started working for Sun Oil in 1936 and continued to work for the same company at various locations in Texas and Mississippi until his death in South Texas in 1963. Otis enjoyed hunting and fishing; he was a skilled craftsman in the construction of boats, trailers, and fishing gear. He was limited only by lack of education and opportunity.

---- Leonard Hale 1998