Albert Hazen

Albert (Al) Hazen passed away at Sundale Nursing Home, December 7, 2020. He was born in 1932 in Starke, FL, the seventh of nine children.

He grew up in subsistence-level poverty on a farm his family took over as squatters during the Great Depression. Raised primarily by his single mother and his sisters, Al’s independence was evident from the beginning. When his mother became a nurse and moved to town with his sisters, Al stayed behind on the farm his senior year. After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force, becoming a staff sergeant and serving overseas during the Korean War.

After the war, he returned to Florida, where he was able to attend the University of Florida on the GI Bill. Despite being little prepared for the university, Al persevered and went on to graduate in 1960. After graduation, he took a job with Crawford & Company as a claim’s adjuster and moved to the Cleveland, OH, suburbs. While in Cleveland, Al met his future wife, Barbara Madara, whom he married July 15, 1961. For work, Al and Barbara moved to Colorado and then on to Madison Heights, MI, eventually settling in Troy, MI, where their son, Kirk, was born in 1970.

During the six years preceding his son’s birth, Al attended law classes at night at three different law schools to earn his JD in 1969. He was originally motivated to be a lawyer after his mother was debilitated in a car accident and the ensuing legal proceedings turned against her due to her inability to hire a good lawyer. After receiving his JD, Al worked for a few different law firms before starting his own practice and then building his own office building. At age 55, he sold the business and building, retiring for the first time, to build his dream house on Lake Hartwell in Fair Play, SC.

While in South Carolina, Al went on to pass the SC bar, dabble in real estate, perform pro bono work for both the Anderson County courts and friends in need. He was also a VITA volunteer preparing taxes for thousands of people over the years and enjoyed a lot of golf in Hartwell, GA. After 30 years in South Carolina, Al and Barbara took up residence in Morgantown, WV, at Sundale Nursing Home in 2017.

He is survived by his son, Kirk Hazen, daughter-in-law, Kate Hazen, grandchildren, Madara Hazen, Coleman Hazen, and Keegan Hazen. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Barbara Madara Hazen.

Cremation services are being arranged by Fred L Jenkins Funeral Home.