Obituary of Robert Hazel

Robert Boyd Hazel, 91, died peacefully November 19, 2013 at the William M. Dunlap Center for Caring in Raleigh after a brief illness.

Bob was born to Boyd and Mary Hazel June 5, 1922 in Madisonburg, PA on a small dairy farm to which he enjoyed returning and helping with farm work his entire life. After his first two years at Penn State University, he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in March 1944. He flew a total of 37 missions in Europe during WWII as a B-26 Marauder pilot and an A-26 Invader pilot with the 386th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. Following the war, he completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees at Penn State and pursued a career in wildlife management and law enforcement with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and retired in 1980 as the Executive Director. Following his retirement with the Wildlife Commission, he joined the faculty of the NC State University College of Natural Resources where he was a Wildlife Extension Specialist and Professor. He was also a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Duke University where he taught graduate courses and mentored young natural resources professionals. He pursued his love of flying his entire life and flew until he was 80 and logged 6400 hours of pilot time. He loved camping, fishing, and hunting and enjoyed sharing those experiences with his son, grandsons, and friends. With his fellow members of the Community United Church of Christ of Raleigh, he actively sought justice and equality for all in our society.

He was married for 68 years to the love of his life Kerma, for whom he spent the last years of his life as her primary caregiver and companion. Bob and Kerma spent many happy years camping, fishing, returning to Pennsylvania, and raising their four children. He is survived by Kerma at Waltonwood of Cary; their son Dr. Dennis Hazel and his wife Debbie of Garner and their two daughters Abbey and Lauren; their daughter Diana Pike and her husband John of Goldsboro and their son Dr. Maxwell Pike of Kansas City, MO; their daughter Linda Littman and her husband Wayne of Clayton and their son Galen and daughter Zoe and another son Randy, his wife Christine and their sons Lance and Tyler; and, their daughter Amy Hazel of Bridgeton, NC.

Family visitation will be at Montlawn Memorial Park, Funerals, and Cremation from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday November 23. A memorial service will be held 12:30 p.m., Sunday, November 24, 2013 at Community United Church of Christ at 814 Dixie Trail in Raleigh followed by interment in Montlawn at 2:00.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hospice of Wake County, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607 or to The Church Memorial Fund, Community UCC, 814 Dixie Trail, Raleigh, NC 27607.

Arrangements are by Montlawn Funeral Home, 2911 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC. Condolences can be made at www.montlawn.com