She was born in Columbus on December 25, 1931 to Dr. and Mrs. Isaac Anderson Maxwell.
She attended Wynnton Elementary School and graduated from Columbus High School in 1949. She graduated from Ward Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee in 1951.
Hazel was a lifelong member of Trinity Episcopal Church where she was baptized and confirmed and later married Bryan Milner Rust on December 28, 1951. She served as head of the alter guild for many years. She was a sustaining member of The Junior League of Columbus and a member of
The Country Club of Columbus.
Hazel was an avid gardener and spent many hours making her garden beautiful, which gave her a great sense of satisfaction. This past spring, even at 90 years old she spent the late afternoons checking on her flowers and planting her flowerbeds. Although her memory was fading, she never lost the memories of her childhood growing up on Hilton Avenue, her childhood
friends and her summers spent on the family farm. She attributed her love of nature to her father and the days spent with him on the farm and on fishing trips. She loved music and especially country music and she had a beautiful voice. She would tell us stories of how she would ride her horse, King, and sing the latest country songs to him. Our home was always filled with music!
She was many things to many people but first and foremost she was a wonderful and devoted wife and mother! Her husband and family were her life and she loved hosting holiday meals and spending time at the beach with her family! She was our everything!
Hazel was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 62 years, Bryan Milner Rust, her brother, Isaac Anderson Maxwell, Jr., and her sister, Patsy Maxwell McCurry.
She is survived by her sister, Jenny Lind Maxwell Berry of Jackson, MS. three children: Hazel Lamb Rust Fox (David), Bryan Milner Rust, Jr. (Mary Carmel) and Carolyn Maxwell Rust Steele (all of Columbus); seven grandchildren: David Edward Fox, Jr. (Amy) of Auburn, AL, Benjamin Blackburn Fox (Dee Ann) of Columbus, and Rebecca Anderson Fox Tidwell (Stephen) of Montgomery, AL, Catherine Maxwell Rust of Franklin, TN, Bryan Milner Rust III of Columbus, Tyler Blackburn Steele of Charlotte, NC, and Madison Elaine Steele of Salt Lake City, UT; seven great grandchildren: Elizabeth McKown Fox, Harris Blackburn Fox, Plen Anderson Fox, William Bradford Tidwell, Milner Fox Tidwell, Iris Grace Allen, and Abigail June Welch.
Hazel's family would like to thank Wilma Powell for the care, love, support, and friendship she showed our father and our mother for the past ten years and to Vetra Luke for her compassion and care during the last few months of her life. We also want to thank the caregivers from Columbus Hospice for making her final journey much easier.
A special thank you to all her friends at Dinglewood Pharmacy for making her life enjoyable and for making her feel loved and special every day!
A visitation will be at Trinity Episcopal Church on Thursday, July 21st 2022 at 1:30 in the afternoon. Funeral services will begin at 2:30 pm with interment to follow at Parkhill Cemetery according to Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, Columbus, GA.
In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to Columbus Hospice (7020 Moon Road Columbus, GA.) or The Columbus Botanical Garden (3603 Weems Road Columbus, GA.) or to the charity of your choice.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.shcolumbus.com for the Rust family.
