Oma Jean Hazelip

She met Bobby, her husband of almost 70 years, while in high school, and was always quick to quip that he was a country boy, while she was a fancy girl from the big city of Mesquite. Bob was the love of her life and her best friend. During their 30-plus years of retirement, they relished trips to Colorado, especially to the Redstone area. They also made several jaunts to Branson, Missouri, where they enjoyed many shows and adventures with their best friends, Patsy and Mack Sexton… both gone now.

Their only daughter, Sandra, came along 10 months after their wedding. They enjoyed all of her activities, and loved all of her friends. Sandra’s husband, Dee, spent many of his first years with Sandra under their scrutiny, but eventually won them over and became their trusted adviser. Sandra’s and Dee’s children, Aron and Ben, were a true joy to Jean. She never missed dance recitals, drill team performances, football and soccer games. Jean had a blast at the wedding of Aron to Christopher in Newport, RI, and received great joy from Aron’s and Christopher’s daughters, Harper and Miller. When they came along, Jean had already retired, so she loved babysitting the girls once a week when they were young. More recently, Jean partied again at the wedding of Ben and Ann Catherine, and in the last few months of her life, was able to experience the joy of meeting her youngest great-granddaughter, Caroline Grace, Ben’s and Ann Catherine’s bundle of joy. Jean was comforted to know her daughter and both of her grandchildren were happily married with beautiful families.

Jean was very involved in Northway Christian Church. She loved the sewing groups there and the friends she made at weekly meetings. She was also very active in her Sunday school class. As her health failed, she often mentioned how much she missed attending church.

Jean was very proud of her career in the insurance business… a dedicated career woman before it was fashionable. Her co-workers and clients were very important to her, and many became lifelong friends. Early in her career she became a member of The Insurance Women of Dallas, eventually serving as president. But she especially relished her role as a past-president, since the women who held that position continued to meet for lunch on a regular basis for many years. Jean also held offices in the Regional Insurance Women and was very involved in National Insurance Women. She loved attending the annual conventions held all over the United States, and often wore a bracelet packed with charms from each location she had visited, quickly bursting into reminiscences at the mere mention of any of those many cities or states.

Jean led a truly fulfilled life as a strong, independent woman alongside her soul-mate, Bobby, her daughter, Sandra, and family. As dementia began to take away Jean’s memory, it was frustrating to her, since her life was full of so many occasions about which she loved to reminisce. She lived her life without regret. Jean loved greatly, is still loved, and will be missed dearly.