Hazel F. Bennett, 84, of Lewiston, passed away Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, of the effects of Alzheimer's disease. She was born May 3, 1933, in Fort Collins, Colo., to Cecil and Bessie Bennett. She and her seven siblings were raised in Colorado.
She was married to Wayne L. Hayden in December 1950, and together they had seven children. During their 31 years of marriage they lived in many towns in northern Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. They divorced in 1981.
Following her divorce, she moved to Colorado Springs, where she worked cleaning apartments, which is where she met longtime companion Charles Jordan. They later moved to Bullhead City, Ariz. Hazel enjoyed living in the desert very much and made many friends there. She worked at several of the casinos across the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nev.
She is survived by her seven children, Wayne Hayden of Colorado, Dennis and Anne Hayden of Idaho, Vicie and Rick Judy of South Carolina, Rick Hayden of Colorado, Cindy Hayden of Colorado, Tony and Deb Hayden of Oregon, and Peggy and Brad Gary of Idaho. She also leaves behind her adored pet, Cookie, 18 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.
She was the last of her immediate family to pass.
Her humor, flair for the dramatic and great story telling made life with mom an adventure. Her absolute strength and fierce enduring nature will be missed by us all. Not many people can say they survived being hit by a train, and she loved to tell people she had, if for no other reason than to see their reaction. That strength and fight continued until her very last breath.
Vassar-Rawls Funeral Home in Lewiston is in charge of cremation, and her ashes will be spread in Colorado by her family at a later date.
The family would like to thank the amazing staff at SJRMC who helped our mother in her final days, and showed us such compassion and empathy in those final moments.
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