James Kenneth Hazelitt

Origins

Born on June 13, 1947, in Lewisburg, Tennessee, James Kenneth Hazelitt was welcomed by mother, Lillian Gaunt and father, James Madison Hazelitt. Though he never had any siblings, he was raised alongside cousins Jim and George in his great-grandmother, Mama Daisy’s home in Fayetteville, where she taught them everything from housework and cooking to respect for elders and caution toward the world around them. James also lived near a host of other cousins who both teased and protected him at school. Known as Peewee in the schoolyard, he had slowly developed into a bold and mischievous kid, always messing with neighbors and pushing limits. At age 13, tragedy struck when James lost Mama Daisy and was called for by his mother to California. His journey meant leaving behind cousins like Thomas Long, friends like John the Bus Driver and neighbors like Thelma Dangerfield, all who cherished his personality and anticipated his return.

Early Adulthood

Upon his arrival in Los Angeles, California, James strengthened his relationship with Lillian and got his first job at the hamburger stand across the street from their home. Eventually a 19-year-old James began truck driving for Service Foods, where he met and bonded with coworkers John Henry, Rex and Dorothy. These friends eagerly introduced him to Hope Kitagawa, a coworker who instantly stole his heart. Through his friendly disposition, unyielding affection and passionate support, he would soon earn hers as well. By March of 1968, James and Hope were married and expecting their first son, James Kenneth Jr. Soon after came sons Jeff and Jason. Then, having wished for a daughter all his life, the arrival of Marlena marked a completion for James.

Work-Life Balance

Around this same time, James got a job at Jarvis Electric where he made his lifelong best friends: Earl Broussard, Tom Malone, Herb Paylor and the Kimble family. He was also awarded a promotion to supervisor but, as hardworking and committed as James was to this job, he was equally committed to his role as a father. He used baseball coaching as a way to bond with his children in their youth. Through this, he became a fixture in his community in Compton (and later, Ontario) as well as a father figure to his children’s friends. He also enjoyed taking his older kids on fishing trips, while the younger two accompanied him at the horse races. As they grew older, his sons would describe James as a strict, and even scary, parent with a soft spot for his little girl. But time and life experience softened James enough that he was able to form unique bonds with each child by the time they reached adulthood themselves.

James would end up spending around 30 years at Jarvis, every morning the same long car ride with his wife and any free time afterwards split between his bowling league, church bingo games, reservation casinos, and casual softball games. When James was laid off from Jarvis, he took a job at Leight Sales electric company for a year and later did some security work in Long Beach, where he named a meeting with basketball player Lisa Leslie as the highlight of his career. But another lay off combined with the expansion of his family and complications with his health made retirement especially appealing for James, so by 2015 he had exited the workforce.

A Family Man

James was ecstatic when his eldest son gave him his first grandchildren, Kazmere and Kajha. As a grandparent James was known to be kind, funny, and supportive. Because of the way he grew up, with lots of distant family but none to claim as his own, he enjoyed getting the opportunity to be so close with them. This was best symbolized in 1995, when both girls were very little and James lost 80% of his vision. He severely struggled with this period of blindness and grew despondent. But after some months in this state, by some miracle, his vision was restored and the first thing he saw was the face of his granddaughter. This, and many other moments since, taught him to further appreciate the children who would bless his life. He would go on to spend his 50s and 60s heavily involved in the upbringing of grandchildren Caitlin, Essence, Jalen, Trinity, Journee, Heaven, Jordyn, and much later: Jayden and Michael.

In Old Age

Though James made his role as a “Papa” his main priority, he also took the time to pursue his passions, like riding motorcycles, working on cars, collecting, golfing, and gambling. But as his age caught up to him, James found much more joy in the simpler things in life which followed the same basic structure every day: arguing and watching TV with his wife, looking after his youngest grandchild, taking care of his dogs, scrolling through fake news on TikTok, checking in on his family through FaceTime calls, bird and plane watching from his favorite seat in the garage, and conversing with every neighbor and service worker that passed by.

Just as any other time in his life, these last days clearly expressed the character and values that James held. He was a man of family and friendship, of respect and support. A man who never took himself too seriously and showed appreciation for everything life allowed him to have because he recognized that he wouldn’t always be able to keep it. On October 21, 2025, James passed suddenly at the age of 78 in a hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada.

His memory lives on in his wife, 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren who all want to thank you for the role you played in his life, the love you gave him, and the time taken to honor his passing. Funeral services will be held at Palm Eastern Mortuary & Cemetery on November 22 at 1:00pm to celebrate a life so full of strength, love, and meaning.