Hazel Hutchinson

Hazel Zimmerman was born to Maurice and Cora Zimmerman on February 10, 1907, in Kendallville, Indiana. She was the oldest of four children raised on a farm. At a young age Hazel and her siblings worked hard and endured many hard times together but used their ability to work together and love for each other to see them through the rough years. Hazel attended school for several years but left at an early age to marry Thurman James at the age of 17. From this marriage she had four children that she dearly loved; their names were Norma Jean and Jackie Lee who sadly died at a very young age and Glenn and Dorothy who preceded Hazel in death a few years ago. She was very proud of Glenn who had a very successful life in the military. Her daughter Dorothy loved and took care of Hazel until a tragic illness took her life in 1999. The marriage to Thurman lasted approximately 10 years until extremely hard times forced Hazel to take her surviving two children and moved to Kalamazoo to live with her parents. Hazel found herself as a single mother caring for her children. She ventually found employment at Shakespeare’s for several years. During this time she supplemented her income by hand making beautiful crochet work and selling them. She worked hard to provide for her family but never lost her passion for dancing to orchestra music. Even much later in life she loved to reminisce about the music and the dancing. Hazel had a talent for dancing that we would all love to have. A few years later she met and married her second husband Myles “Hutch” Hutchinson. They had several happy years together but eventually divorced. After several years at Shakespeare’s she left to take a position at the Sutherland Company, where she worked until a serious automobile accident in 1965 left her hospitalized for nearly a year and forced her to take a medical retirement from Sutherland. She never fully recovered from that tragic accident, but always appreciated how her friends and family stayed by her side and continued to care for her over the years. In spite of the many hardships of her life, she was strong and brave and endured many hardships with the help of her long time friends and her caring family.

Hazel loved to have her family and friends stop by and visit her. She was a very good cook and would treat you to her delightful home made meals whenever she could. A favorite of her grandchildren was beef and home made noodles. You couldn’t visit her without her trying repeatedly to feed you or give you something. She was very sociable and very kind. Despite her age Hazel was always self-dependant, living on her own until her move a year ago to Plainwell Pines. She was a member of the Ladies Auxiliary and enjoyed their gatherings and social events. Hazel always was social, especially with her co-workers and large group of friends. They had been planning a big surprise party for her birthday on the 10th for her 96th birthday.

Her family includes her seven grandchildren: Karen Trefry of Granger, IN, Nancy Ryan of Portage, Patrick Ryan of Tulsa, OK, Connie (Neil) Larson of Kalamazoo, Edward Ryan of Mattawan, Monica (Massimo) James of Italy, and Gabriella (Paolo) James of Italy; a sister Evelyn Hughes of Marshall; daughter-in-law Lina James of Italy; six great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Hazel died peacefully on February 3, 2003, at Plainwell Pines Nursing Home. She was preceded in death by all four of her children: Norma Jean James, Jackie Lee James, Glenn E. James, and Dorothy J. Ryan; one brother Bob Zimmerman and one sister Cora Frazier.

Friends visited with the family on Thursday at the BETZLER FUNERAL HOME where services were held Friday. Food and fellowship followed the service at Rykse’s Restaurant. Private interment took place at Mt. Ever-Rest Cemetery. Please visit Hazel’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may leave a memory for her family or make a memorial contribution to the Leukemia Foundation of Michigan.