Hazel Walker Obituary

Hazel Eva Walker was born to Jim and Viola Hunt, March 19, 1929 in La Salle, Colorado. She died March 8, 2021 at Four Corners Health Care Facility in Durango. Hazel was a loving mother, grandmother, homemaker, Sunday-school teacher, bird-watcher, and poet. She loved to cook and her pies were amazing!

Her childhood experiences mirrored those of most families in the Great Depression. Money and expensive things were hard to come by, so she and her siblings were happy with life's simple experiences. Hazel attended high school in Brighton, Colorado, where she encountered a handsome young soldier, Larry Walker, who had returned to school after WWII. She and Larry graduated from high school together and were married in 1949.

In 1954, Hazel and Larry moved with their family to the high mountains of Colorado, living for many years in Climax and Leadville. She loved the mountains, the snow, skiing, and the beautiful alpine setting. However, Hazel found baking to be quite the challenge at 11,500 ft. After their two sons graduated from high school, Hazel and Larry followed his work to numerous mining jobs around the west and south. They retired to Riverton, WY, and then to Aztec, NM. Until her health began to fail, Hazel worked tirelessly in the Presbyterian church of every community in which she lived. Spending decades overseeing Sunday school, she also played the organ and piano for church services and sang in the choir.

Hazel was preceded in death by Larry in 2006, and her siblings Iola Ellis, Dorothy Davis, and Jack Hunt. She is survived by her sons: Scott and spouse Cheryl Walker of Tijeras, NM, and Walter Walker and spouse Tom Ann Casey of Durango, CO. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews, four grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for a later date. Contributions can be made in her name to the National Audubon Society.