Hazel Blecha, 111, died peacefully at Wesley Acres on Sunday, October 29, 2006. A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, November 4 at West Des Moines United Methodist Church. Hazel will be cremated and her cremated remains will be scattered in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Hazel had lived in three different centuries. She was born November 30, 1894 in Severy, Kansas. She graduated from Kansas State University in 1917 and taught school for two years in Western Kansas. She married Frank Blecha in 1917. He was her high school and college sweetheart. Since he was in military service at that time, (World War I) Hazel's father drove her to Little Rock, Arkansas, to be married. Hazel and her husband settled in Manhattan, Kansas. Hazel was a volunteer worker in her church and in the Red Cross where she supervised a program for knitting for soldiers, prisoners and refugees during WW II. She and her husband lived in Germany after WWII, where he worked for the U.S. government. After her husband's retirement they moved to Deer Trail, Colorado where she continued to live until she was 100 years old. She loved Colorado and said it had perfect weather, beautiful sunsets and wonderful blue sky. Hazel was proud to be Iowa's oldest resident and was looking forward to her 112th birthday in November.
She is survived by her daughter, Carol Sayler (Bob) of West Des Moines; three grandsons, Robert Sayler (Carol) of Des Moines, Larry Sayler (Cindy) of Greenville, IL and Kenyon Sayler (Lisa) of Roseville, MN; six great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank, her son, Gail and her sister, Gloria Fox.
Memorial contributions can be made to West Des Moines United Methodist Church.