Hazel Mildred Hurst Whiteside

Hazel Mildred Hurst Whiteside was born on March 14, 1910 in Frederick, Oklahoma, grew up there, and attended Oklahoma A&M University, then graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Education, Spanish and French. There in Norman, at the Brown Owl Cafe, where they both worked to pay for college expenses, she met William Calvin Whiteside, from Grapevine, TX, who also graduated from OU. They married, and taught school together for 35 years in various parts of Texas and Oklahoma. She and "Bill" had 3 children, Michael L. Whiteside of Bulverde, TX, Carol Whiteside Hanle of Austin, TX and Dr. Leo A. Whiteside, of St. Louis, Missouri. Bill and Hazel placed a high value on education, and imparted this sense of importance to their children, and to the students they taught. She was preceded in death by Bill, in 1974, after 39 years of marriage, and is survived by their three children; nine grandchildren; seventeen great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; her youngest sister, Jean Schwall of Chicago; and her youngest brother, Fielding H. Hurst of Corpus Christi. She was the eldest girl in a family of 5 other siblings. Hazel died February 12, 2008 at home with her family, just one month short of her 98th birthday. She was a loving, supportive and faithful wife, wonderful mother, devoted sister and friend. Hazel was known by many for her spunky attitude, fierce sense of independence, enormous pride in her family, and generosity of spirit. She will be terribly missed. A memorial service will be held Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 11:00 a.m., at Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home, 2620 S. Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, with visitation immediately following. In lieu of flowers, a memorial gift may be made to the Missouri Bone and Joint Research Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, founded and developed by Leo Whiteside, MD, whose mission is to improve health and well-being through advances in biotechnology and arthritis treatment. It can be seen online at www.mobojo.org . The address is 1000 Des Peres Rd., Ste. 150, St. Louis, Missouri, 63131.