Hazel Dawson

1923-2015

Hazel Bama Felder Dawson passed away peacefully early Friday morning, January 2nd after a brief illness. She was 91. Hazel was born April 30, 1923 in Oneonta, Alabama. Her family later moved to Houston. She attended San Jacinto High School and Rice University in Houston. She left Rice early in order to marry her fellow Rice student David Dawson. They had three children together; David III ("Joe"), Robert ("Bobby") and Dana. Marrying David proved to be an adventure. After leaving the Navy, David's work took them around the world. They moved first to Italy, then London, Mozambique, Angola, the Canary Islands, Mozambique again, and Spain before returning to the USA to retire in 1971. David and Hazel amassed an impressive collection of trophies from safaris in Mozambique, Angola and India. Their children attended schools in those countries, as well as boarding schools in South Africa, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Switzerland.

She was preceded in death by her husband in 2002, and her second son, Bobby, in 2013. She is survived by her oldest son Joe and her daughter Dana Dawson Simons, her son-in-law Sedgwick Simons, and her granddaughter Amy Simons. Services will be on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at Forest Park East Funeral Home. Visitation will be at 9:00 am. A memorial service will take place at 10:00 am with a reception to follow at 11:00 am.