Joseph H. Hazen's Obituary
Joe Hazen passed away peacefully Friday morning, Sept. 24. He had just recently celebrated his 97th birthday. Born September 15, 1913 in Council Bluffs, IA to George and Marie (Brooks) Hazen, Joe was the oldest of six children, and parlayed that status into being the family patriarch after the death of his father in 1971. He was raised in Omaha, NE and Springfield, IL before coming to Tacoma with his family in 1930. This young man of the Midwest took to Puget Sound like a duck to water, reveling in fishing, boating, and duck hunting. He attended Bellarmine Prep (class of 1934) as one of the few non-Catholics in the school, and received a football scholarship due to his prowess on the field. He served as team Captain and was selected to All City teams. After high school, he joined the Merchant Marine and worked on oil tankers sailing to China, South America, and Indochina. He also fished in Alaska and worked as Rigging Foreman in the Tacoma Shipyards before entering the US Navy. He served on the USS Bismarck Sea, and shipped out a month before before it was sunk in the South Pacific to attend NCO school at Brown University. From there, he was sent to the Philippines where he was a Warrant Officer with the SeaBees. He married Doretha Omage of Tacoma in 1941. They lived in Milton for many years, enjoying their family, friends, neighbors, beautiful yard, craft projects, and fishing. Doretha died in 1999. Joe fully maintained his home and yard until he moved to an assisted living center at age 93. Joe joined the Operating Engineers Union - Local 612A in 1947. He was a proud Union man and active member for 63 years. His career included time with Shotwell Construction and Tucci Construction. Sometimes it seemed to his family that he had built every road and laid every water pipe in Pierce County. Joe is survived by his sister Marie Monahan of Browns Point, brother Tom Hazen of Fircrest, sister-in-law Ann Omage of Gig Harbor, cousin Vaughn Hazen of Fremont, NE, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was a loving son, brother, husband and uncle and well-loved in return. Thank you to the staff at Mill Ridge Village, Franke Tobey Jones Health Center, and Franciscan Hospice for their help. Memorials may be sent to the Member Assistance Fund of the International Union of Operating Engineers 612A at 1555 South Fawcett Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402, or a charity of your choice. Graveside services and a reception will be held at the Mountain View Memorial Park (Lakewood) Thursday, Sept 30, 2010 at 11:30 am.
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