She was the youngest of nine children and lost her mother in childbirth. She was a resident of Houston the majority of her life. Her high school graduation class in Pine was very small and all female because the boys were bravely serving in WWII. After a brief time at Pearl River Junior College at 18 years of age, Hazel wanted to help with the war effort so she boarded a train to Washington, DC and worked as a civil servant at the Pentagon. She often told us stories of dancing with the soldiers at the USO. After the war, she moved to Baton Rouge to work as a secretary in the office of the Louisiana Secretary of State. Hazel met the love of her life, George Mathis, on a blind date and they married on October 30, 1948. After George graduated from LSU, they made their home in Houston. Hazel was passionate about being a homemaker and her family always came first. She loved cooking, gardening, and sewing. In her later years, jigsaw puzzles, watching the birds and baking her famous Nana cookies for the grandkids kept her busy.
Hazel is preceded in death by her husband of 43 years, George Mathis. She is survived by her three loving daughters, Linda Lane, Debbie Casey and Julie Leonard (Jeff), her grandchildren, Wendy DeJager (David), Becky Camp (David), Michael Lane (Maegen), Kim Winger (Quint), Kristin LaFollett (Kevin), and her great grandchildren: Dylan (Jessica), Brianna, Joslyn, Dustin, Andrew, Abbey, Alyssa (Daniel), Ella, Luke and Kate.
A committal service for Hazel will be held Friday, December 31, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Memorial Oaks Cemetery, 13001 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77079.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialoaksfunerals.com for the Mathis family.
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