Our American Family - Person Sheet
Our American Family - Person Sheet
NameHazel Marie MILLER 26
Birth Date19 May 1924
Birth PlaceCabool, Texas County, Missouri
Death Date2 Jan 1990 Age: 65
Death PlaceMarana, Pima County, Arizona
Burial Date8 Jan 1990
Burial PlaceBenson, Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise Gardens Of Rest Cemetery
MotherAnnis Alma BREWER (1900-1968)
Spouses
Birth Date5 Aug 1915
Birth PlaceSpringhill, Johnson County, Kansas
Death Date10 May 1991 Age: 75
Death PlaceTucson, Pima County, Arizona
Burial Date18 May 1991
Burial PlaceBenson, Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise Gardens Of Rest Cemetery
Family ID2735
Marr Date12 Jun 1947
Marr PlaceLordsburg, Hildalgo County, New Mexico
ChildrenB. M. (1948-)
 Gary Ralph (1950-2001)
Notes for Hazel Marie MILLER
(1) Birth cert. (2) Marr. cert. (3) MILLER family Bible (4) Personal knowledge (5) Bapt. cert.

Hazel was born on a farm half-way between Cabool and Willow Springs, Missouri. The doctor was called, but there was a storm and her father ended up delivering her because the doctor did not get there in time.

She was a very generous person and was the first one in line to help whenever
possible. Her Irish-Cherokee blood made her quick to anger and action. It
paid not to "get her dander up". She once chased her brother Jesse with an axe and the only thing that saved him was that he had longer legs and was able to get over a barbed wire fence and outrun her. Her mother had a rooster that she hated and it hated her. One day it attacked her and she kicked it. The rooster died and her mother made her clean and pluck the rooster, cook it and eat it.

She attended the Teacher's College in Springfield, MO. She lacked one year of graduating. Instead of taking classes the summer of 1947, she went to Arizona where she stayed after marrying Clel Hill.

Hazel had a fantastic memory and knew "just about everyone". Others often
confided in her about the most private secrets. She loved to write letters and had an extremely long list of correspondents.

Hazel has a homemaker until after the family's return from Chadron, Nebraska.
She ran the King's Motel in Benson, Arizona for about four years. Then she was a waitress at Win's Cafe in Tombstone until it sold. She worked at the
Horseshoe Cafe in Benson for awhile. After that she worked at the Commissary at Fort Huachuaca until her accident on 26 August 1968. Her worst injury was a sub-dural hematoma. Although she began to recover from the accident, she had an occluded carotid artery. During the surgery to remove the clot, something happened and she went into a coma. When she came out, she was a left sided hemi-plegic. Her mental processes seemed to regress to an infantile stage and over the years, she progressed back to adult status.

Although she was often frustrated by her inability to do even the little
things, she did what she could. Many received her letters over the years of
invalidism. Her greatest desire was to have her mental faculties and to be
able to take care of herself as she grew older. Her mind was clear and she had a definite ability to express herself up to her death. The ability to care for herself was taken from her and the hardest thing she had to face was to let others do things for her. She learned to let others do for her, but it was not done willingly. She enjoyed the company of the health care workers who eventually came in to help with her care, but it was always a sore point. Many times when the phone had been ringing and someone came in to answer it, she would say, "T thought I would get up and answer it, but I didn't think I could make it in time." or words to that effect. Or she would say, "If I could get out of this bed, ...". That was usually when she was frustrated and if she could have gotten up, God help the person she was angry at.

She was always there for her grandchildren. She was a constant for them and
could take the time to listen and share in their lives and activities.
Although she would get frustrated and angry with them, she loved them
immeasurably.

She always hoped she could go back to school and get her teaching degree after her children were grown. The car accident ended that dream. It also ended the opportunity for her and Clel to have a leisurely retirement where they could travel and enjoy each other's company. At the time of the accident, she was ready to seek a divorce because of differences she and Clel were having at the time. They never let whatever problems they were having go further than the two of them. Time would have probably solved whatever the problem was. The accident cut that short, but a new love seemed to grow between them.
Notes for Clellie Ralph (Spouse 1)
!1. Birth cert.
2. Marr. cert.
3. COX family Bible
4. Personal knowledge
5. Amended birth cert. - original has 4 Aug 1915.

Clel was born in Springhill, Kansas. His father drowned two weeks before
he was born. He was raised by his mother (who never remarried), his
maternal grandfather and two bachelor uncles on the family farm. His mother
passed away while he was in high school. Clel attended a cooking school after
joining the service. He was a Master Sergeant before his discharge. He was
wounded during the war and was paid a 10% disability after a time.

Clel came to Arizona after WWII. He worked in a garage. Hazel joined him and
they drove to New Mexico to get married. Clel went to school on the G.I. Bill
and studied printing. He was a linotype operator. They moved to
Chadron, Nebraska in Dec 1953 to join a friend (Don Prather) at a printing plant
there. They returned to Arizona in after Clel had a nervous breakdown. His
doctors at the VA hospital in South Dakota told him to return to a hot, dry
climate. He worked in the printing industry until he injured his back. Then
after a period of unemployment, he joined the civil service and worked at the
Field House at Ft. Huachuca. He later transferred to the Wood Shop where he was
a wood instructor for a number of years.

Clel had a great sense of humor and was always telling jokes and funny
stories. He was a "jack of all trades" and mastered many skills. He developed
diabetes after the age of 60 (which did require the use of insulin) , had high
blood pressure and high cholesterol. He had one major heart attack from which
he recovered. He developed congestive heart failure and that contributed to
his death. He also developed peripheral hardening of the blood vessels,
meaning the little capillaries were not delivering blood to the extremities as
they should.

He was a great basketball player even though he started smoking in his teens.
He was very light on his feet and had the speed necessary for the game.
During the war and his courting years, he wrote poetry. He had several ideas
for inventions but never was able to afford the patent search for them. A
number of his creations he made for his own use. The same idea was later
thought of by someone else who did patent the items.

Clel was very generous and gave of his time and means many times. He loved
his family and wanted a close relationship with each of them. Life dealt him
many cruel blows, but he kept hoping for a resolution of the problems he faced
in life. While not openly religious, he had a strong faith in God and loved to
"worship" in the great outdoors.

Clel loved to fish and to be outdoors. Often the family would take rides just
to see what the country was like. Picnics and outings, especially with
friends, were enjoyed by the family many times in the earlier years. Those
activities would have probably continued if circumstances had not bound him to
other activities after his wife's accident and paralysis.

Clel was a very loving and devoted husband. He and Hazel had their disputes
and misunderstandings, but overall the under current of love carried through.
Last Modified 11 Jun 2010Created 10 Feb 2024 using Reunion on a Macintosh


Created 10 Feb 2024.
© Copyright 1993-2024 by John Johnson.

Created on a Macintosh computer using Reunion genealogy software.

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“I am bound to them though I cannot look into their eyes or hear their voices. I honor their history. I cherish their lives.
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