Wiley was born on September 30, 1934 in Augusta, Georgia and soon after relocated to Tampa, Florida with his family as an infant.
He was preceded in death by his much-adored angel of a wife (Edna Louise Hazel), his parents (Wiley and Vaughn Hazel Sr.) and sister (Mary Clifford Smith).
Wiley leaves behind a loving blended family of 4 children, Linda Jo Hazel of Tampa, Amy (Mark) Massey of Tampa, Jerry (Loretta) Campbell of Tampa, Ron (Sandy) Campbell of Land O’Lakes, 10 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, a multitude of extended family, and countless loving friends.
Wiley began his military career by joining the Florida National Guard at age 14. This continued while pursuing his Bachelor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Florida. Upon graduation Wiley was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and attended Infantry School at Fort Benning earning his Ranger Tab. His military career further continued where he was assigned to the 62nd Artillery Battalion 4th Missile Battery at Fort Bliss. After 3 years of active duty, he transitioned to the Florida National Guard and, shortly after, obtained his Master’s in Business. In 1960, Wiley began his very successful engineering career at GTE that culminated in his well-deserved retirement at the young age of 58.
Wiley was active in many organizations: Boy Scouts, Tampa Junior Chamber of Commerce, Salvation Army, Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau, numerous committees and charity works at St. James Methodist Church, and for many years he was the treasurer for MOAA and was on the Board of Directors for Operation Helping Hand.
Besides his corny jokes and off-key singing, his infectious smile and personable charm will be missed by all.
Funeral service will be held at 10 am Wednesday, February 13, 2019 at St. James United Methodist Church, 16202 Bruce B. Downs, Tampa. Followed by grave side service at 2 pm at Florida National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Ave, Bushnell.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to MOAA/Operation Helping Hand, PO Box 270246, Tampa, FL 33688-0246.
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