BRABY, Hazel Marie (GEHR)
BRABY, GEHR, WINGERT, BENEDICT, OLSON, TAIT, BURKMAN, WRIGHT, BOLINGER, COLSTON, FAGIN
Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 6/25/2018 at 05:09:22
Obituary ~ Hazel Marie (Gehr) Braby
November 18, 1928 - June 12, 2018The Leon Journal Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, IowaHazel Marie (Gehr) Braby, only child of Clarence Raymond and Mary Ellen (Wingert) Gehr, was born November 18, 1928, on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the home of her grandparents, Harry and Florence (Benedict) Wingert, at Dallas Center in Dallas County, Iowa. She passed away on Tuesday, June 12, 2018, at Westview Acres in Leon, Iowa.
Hazel started school in Minburn, Iowa and also went to Dallas Center and Waukee country schools. One of the country schools was Sugar Grove, No.6, which was also attended by her mother in 1911, when she and her family, parents, two brothers, and a sister came to Iowa from Lemasters, Pennsylvania in Franklin County.
At the age of 13, Hazel joined the Dunkard Brethern Church in Dallas Center, Iowa. She graduated in 1947, from Dallas Center High School. In 1948, Hazel went to Garden Grove, Iowa to be a nanny to David, the three year old son of Bert and Betty Olson of Dallas Center, teachers who got jobs teaching in Garden Grove School and hired Hazel to care for their son. She met her future husband, Burrell Braby, and was drawn to him as steel to a magnet. They were married June 15, 1949, in the same house where she was born. Burrell and Hazel had four children, Marilyn Marie, Linda Louise, Donald Eugene, and Carol Ann.
In 1950, Hazel was baptized into the Church of Christ in Leon, Iowa, by an evangelist from Des Moines, Iowa.
In 1969, Hazel started to work on genealogy of all the family. She helped her husband in the field driving the tractor by mowing, raking, disking, and cultivating. She also raised a large garden and canned and froze many jars of vegetables, fruit, and meat. She also crotched, knitted, and made quilts. Her first quilt was started when she was 13 years old, a yoyo bed spread. Through the years she made over 90 quilts for a refuge and abused women and children of Upland, California. When postage got too high she made them for her church, Trinity Christian Church of Decatur, Iowa.
Her husband, Burrell, passed away August 26, 1998, after 49 years of marriage, grandson, Westley Reed Tait, was killed in 2007, and also her parents, and aunts and uncles of California and Pennsylvania precede her in death.
Survivors include her children, Marilyn Braby and husband, Keith Burkman, of Phoenix, Arizona, Linda and David Wright of Huffman, Texas, Don and Candy Braby of Phoenix, and Carol Ann and Rodney Bolinger of Coin, Iowa; grandchildren, Nova and Jay Colston, Joseph Fagin, all of Washington State, Kristopher Aaron and Chelsea Tait of Creston, Iowa, and Summer Braby of Phoenix; great grandchildren, Olivia, Avery, & Evan Colston, Kristopher & Gabriel Tait, and also, Starr Timothy and Bryce Tait, Westley’s children.
Funeral services will be held at the Slade – O’Donnell Funeral Home in Leon, Iowa at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 19, 2018, with Rev. Terry D. Roberts officiating. Burial will be in the Garden Grove Cemetery, Garden Grove, Iowa.
Slade - O'Donnel Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, June of 2018
Decatur Obituaries maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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