Bobby Howard Hazelip, age 91, passed away on April 28, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. He was born October 8, 1929 in Mesquite, Texas. Bobby attended Mesquite High School, where he played football and was voted Most Handsome in his senior year. He met Oma Jean Norwood while they both attended there as proud Skeeters. They were married on January 20, 1949, and welcomed their daughter, Sandra, on November 26, 1949. They were blessed to celebrate 69 years as a couple, until Jean’s death on November 1, 2018. They were best friends until the end, and loved traveling together. A favorite trip was a cruise/train/trek to Alaska. They often drove to both Colorado and Branson, Missouri, and loved “that fiddle-player” there. Bobby was always employed in the automobile parts and warehousing businesses, and retired from General Motors in 1991. Just imagine… enjoying retirement for THIRTY years!
Bob was also an avid outdoorsman, and in his younger years, loved hunting for deer and elk on his annual excursions into the mountains outside of Redstone, Colorado. He and his best friend, Mack Sexton, would ride horses into the mountains and camp for a week, enjoying nature as much as the hunting. His favorite place to fish for Bass was Lake Fork. Bobby even continued to fish there until the age of 86, often going alone, towing his Ranger boat, launching on his own before dawn, and throwing until the hits ceased. But he also loved the times he could convince his grandson, Ben, to get up at 3:30 A.M. to go with him to his favorite fishin’ holes, skimming across the open water at breakneck speeds to rush from one hotspot to another, where conditions just might be a tad better... or worse! The results almost didn’t matter as much as the quest for bigger and more.
He never missed a dance recital, drill team performance, soccer game or football game of his beloved grandchildren, and for at least the time when he was still able, the soccer and volleyball matches of his great-grandchildren. He was so lucky to see his grandchildren, Aron and Ben, settled and happy with families of their own. Pawpaw felt so blessed to watch his 3 great granddaughters, Harper, Miller and Caroline, thrive.
He was a hardworking, honest, loyal, independent man. He lived his life exactly as he wanted, and had no regrets. He was a Christian, as a long-time member of Northway Christian Church, and while they were able, he and Jean were active members there. Bob missed his relationships formed there, and well as his relatives and life-long friends, almost all of whom have preceded him. We hope those friends and family have already started to ice the tea and heat the oil for what is sure to become their eternal fish-fry party.
He is survived by his daughter, Sandra, her husband Dee Northington; his granddaughter, Aron, her husband Christopher McDonald; their daughters, Harper and Miller; his grandson, Benjamin, his wife Ann Catherine Northington; and their daughter Caroline Grace. All of us already miss his stories of growing poor up in the cow and cotton country outside of Mesquite, toting buckets of water from the well across the road for his family’s ice-cold baths, and, of course, his hunting and fishing adventures. He was the head of our family, and the transition toward his absence will be a difficult one, but we will try to make him proud.
Family will have a private service at a later date.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.andersonclaytongonzalez.com for the Hazelip family.
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