Hazel Solomon Beazley

Hazel Solomon Beazley died peacefully at home in Tallahassee, Florida, Sunday, September 16, 2018, at the age of 99. She is survived by her children Hayley Beazley Gowan (Dave), Teresa Kenan Beazley Widmer, Abigail Stanton Beazley Chilldon, Jon Stanton Beazley Jr., and grandchildren Anne E. Chilldon, Jon S. Beazley, III, and the Rev. Robert W. Beazley (Elizabeth). She was preceded in death by her parents, Linton Munroe and Hazel Horne Solomon, siblings Emily R. Solomon and Linton M. Solomon, Jr., her beloved husband of 63 years, Jon Stanton Beazley, son-in-law Jeffrey S. Chilldon, and granddaughter Jessica A. Chilldon. She grew up in Macon, Georgia, and graduated from Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia. She completed the Summer Program in Romance Languages, speaking only French all summer at Middlebury College, Vermont. That fall she began her Masters in French and Spanish at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Returning to Macon, she met and married Jon Stanton Beazley, a civil engineer who was working in the Warner Robbins area on pre-WWII readiness. The inner strength and resolve she had gained through her deep and abiding faith, from the love of family and dear friends, her education and by withstanding the turmoil of war and tough times, only increased over the years and carried her through life. After the war, she and Jon moved to Fort Lauderdale where he worked with the State Road Department (Florida Department of Transportation) planning for improving the state road systems. When he completed his part of that project, he moved to the SRD main office in Tallahassee to use aerial surveys and photogrammetry to determine the best locations for highway plans. Hazel combined raising four children with multiple jobs over the years. At various times she worked as a draftsman, secretary for the Legislature, and taught French and Latin at Augusta Raa and Elizabeth Cobb Junior High Schools. Her parents instilled in her from an early age the importance of service to others. A hard-working Girl Scout, she was awarded the Golden Eaglet, the highest award at that time in the Girl Scouts of America. When her daughters were Brownies, she was their troop leader. In addition, she was very involved with multiple charitable organizations. She was a charter member of Babies Breath Garden Circle, which was organized in 1949 as part of the Tallahassee Garden Club, where she later served as Circle Chairman. In that same year, she was one of the founding members of the Tallahassee Service League, which became the Junior League of Tallahassee. She was ardent member for years and served as the Sustainer Chairman, too. She loved genealogy and tracing family history. She was a founding member of the San Luis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a member of the Colonial Dames and the UDC. Travel was important and exhilarating for her. She always knew the landmarks and key historical sites that she wanted to make certain we saw and appreciated on summer family trips. She traveled to the Bahamas, Europe, Mexico and South America with family. She continued to travel in her later years joining Teresa on trips to San Francisco, Chicago and Vancouver. While growing up, Hazel had seen the importance of the Episcopal Church to her mother, and she continued that devotion throughout her life, all the while leading us by her example. She was a devoted member of St. John’s Episcopal Church from her very early days in Tallahassee until her 90’s. During many of those years she was a Sunday school teacher and a member of church circles. We were blessed and so very fortunate to have had Hazel as our mother. The family would like to express their gratitude to her special caregivers and Big Bend Hospice who helped maintain her quality of life in her final years. A Memorial Service will be celebrated at St. John’s Episcopal Church, on Wednesday, October 3, 2018, at 3:00 pm. There will be a reception following in Alfriend Hall. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Big Bend Hospice or to St. John’s Episcopal Church, Tallahassee. Kelly Barber of Bevis Funeral Home (850-395-2193, www.bevisfh.com) is assisting the Beazley family with their arrangements.

Tributes

Hazel Solomon Beazley

November 5, 1918 - September 16, 2018