Hazel Oneita Taylor Dittert

Hazel Oneita Dittert was born October 23, 1926, in Kiblah Arkansas to Bedford Herschell and Mary Gertrude Taylor; she was an only child. The family moved around, and finally came to Beaumont, Texas in January 1943. She received her Radio Telegraph Operators license in 1946. She married Edgar Dittert on March 28, 1948, and had one daughter, Karen, in 1952. She lived in Beaumont until March 1997, when she moved to Houston. She passed away on March 4, 2012.

Those are the bare facts of her life, but they don’t really tell the story. My mother was a lovely and lively lady, full of life, grit, determination, humor, artistic ability, and above all love for her family. For such a slender woman, she had an abundance of energy and strength which she freely shared.

She had a drive to excel and held very high standards for herself. When she moved to Beaumont in the spring of her senior year, there were required courses in Texas that weren’t taught in Illinois. Mother studied hard, made up the whole year of those classes in one semester, made all A’s, and was Valedictorian of her class. That drive served her well her entire life.

Mother thought that a woman could do anything that she was willing to work for. She became one of the few women in the US in Radio Engineering at the age of 20. The life of a 1950’s housewife would have driven her crazy; fortunately, she met my father Ed who wanted his wife to be a partner, and they married in 1948. My father managed the radio station, sold advertising, and broadcast sports; it took all three of us to get it done! Until he died in 1984, they worked together as true partners.

My mother was devoted to her family. People could hurt her, but they better not attack her family; the red hair would kick in! She could always solve problems and make everyone’s life better; she taught me that you needed to laugh to get through life. She nursed her husband through a long final illness, then did the same for her mother in 1994 and her father in 1995…everyone else came first. In 1996 we built a home together, which was the best decision we ever made; we have had 15 wonderful years together.

In addition to family, Mom’s passions were gardening, decorating, and reading. She always kept a great yard, but in Houston she had a blank canvas; the neighborhood quit giving us “Yard of the Month” after a while, and just gave us “Yard of the Year”. She was happiest coming in from the yard, tired, dirty, and sweating, but with some big task accomplished to her standards. She also had an enormous talent for decorating and color, which runs throughout our home, especially at Christmas.

In later years, she was content with her life, but very concerned about my future. She often said that when her father lay dying, he told her that she had done everything she could for him, and she now needed to go out and make a good life for herself. She told me that she expected me to do the same, when she was gone. I will miss my mother terribly, she was a wonderful person, but I’m very blessed to have 59 years of great memories.

Arrangements under the direction of Earthman Funeral Directors-Hunters Creek, Houston, TX.