Hazel Frances Fletcher was born December 9, 1931.  She was the eldest of six children born to Ruth and Harry Jeffries.

Hazel met Jack Fletcher when she was 19 and they wed on July 15, 1950 in Prairiedale, Saskatchewan.  The two of them called Fletcher Acres home for many years, a farm site just outside of Major, Saskatchewan.  They were blessed to have four children, Larry, twins Shelley and Cheryl and Karen, who would all marry and have children of their own.  The grandchildren (and eventually great grandchildren and great great grandchildren) certainly had the most special place in their hearts.

Hazel and her husband Jack moved to Camrose in 1985 and called it home until they moved to Lacombe in 2001.  In Camrose Hazel kept herself busy with their garden and flowers and shrubs, as well as working part time at a hair salon.  Many birthday parties, holidays and Christmases were celebrated in their home in Camrose.

Over the years Hazel and Jack had travelled to various destinations, always coming back with fond memories to share with their friends and family.

In Lacombe they lived in an apartment for many years before she moved into the Lodge in 2017, a place she called home until her move to Red Deer Hospice on February 14, 2025.  At the Lodge she occupied her time playing cards with the other residents, and working on her crafts including embroidery, knitting, crocheting and stamped cross stitch to name a few.

Hazel was a master cribbage cardplayer, and it was very seldom that anyone could beat her.  But sometimes you did have to keep a close eye on her to make sure that she wasn’t pegging a couple of extra points.

Hazel loved family get togethers, especially the annual family Christmas party that was held at the Ramada in Red Deer.  She was always the life of the party.

Hazel was a wonderful cook and an exceptional baker, a talent she says she was taught by her husband Jack as he had been a bachelor for 10 years before they were married.  One exception to her cooking talent was from many years ago when she had attempted to make bread for Jack, and it just would not rise.  To try to cover up her mistake, Hazel buried the dough in a hole she had dug behind the outhouse, only to have it rise later that day, and be discovered as a ‘giant mushroom’ by Jack and the hired man when they had walked home for lunch.  There was even an article written in the paper about it titled ‘Botched baking buried in the dirt’.

Over the years she had amassed a very large collection of recipes that would become some of her family’s favorites.  In an effort to share and preserve these recipes, there were three homemade cookbooks created titled Gramma Hazel’s Famous Soup Recipes, Gramma Hazel’s Delicious Dessert Delights, and Gramma Hazel’s Scrumptious Casserole and Main Dish Recipes.

She earned the nickname ‘trouble’ by her friends and staff at the lodge and carried that nickname with her until she earned her wings.  Often, she would tell others to stay out of trouble and not to do anything that she wouldn’t do.

Hazel Frances Fletcher passed away peacefully on March 9, 2025 in Red Deer, Alberta. She will be missed and loved forever. We are now lucky to have her as our guardian angel in heaven.

There will be a Celebration of Life held for Hazel at the Eventide Funeral Home located at 4820-45 Street, Red Deer, Alberta on April 5, 2025 at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made directly to the Red Deer Hospice Society at 99 Arnot Avenue, Red Deer, AB  T4R 3R4 or at https://reddeerhospice.com/donate/

 

 

• Date : 2025-03-09
• Location : Eventide Funeral Home