Hazel Fitzpatrick

HAZEL F. FITZPATRICK, 99, of Little Rock, Ark., died Sept. 28, 2015 at the Washington Regional Hospice facility in Fayetteville, Ark. After a sudden illness, she left this world peacefully the same day, attended to by her daughter, Kathy Lewis, her granddaughter, Kathy Lee Carter, and her grandson, Joe Carter, all of Fayetteville. She enjoyed a long and remarkably healthy life. Hazel was born in Collinsville, Ill. on July 25, 1916, one of four daughters born to Margaret and Lawrence Ardison. She was a Registered Nurse and worked at various hospitals through the years, completing her career by managing the surgical practice of Dr. Frank M. Bauer in Little Rock. Married to Maj. Morton H. Fitzpatrick, an Air Force pilot, she enjoyed living in Guam and Hawaii right after WW2 and considered both locations genuine adventures. After multiple moves in the US, she accompanied her husband to Little Rock Air Force Base in 1955 as members of the first bombardment squadron assigned to the new SAC base there. That began a 50 year sojourn in the Little Rock area where she enjoyed long friendships with other officer's wives, and where she attended Lakewood Methodist Church and volunteered at the Lakewood Elementary School. Her favorite pastimes involved fishing and camping in Hot Springs and flying to vacation spots in Mexico in a small airplane she, her husband and her daughters built in the backyard of their home in Lakewood, North Little Rock. Hazel was generous and loving to friends and everyone she considered family. She had a lasting impact on the lives of her daughter, step-daughter, grandchildren and step-grandchildren as well as many nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Anne, her husband of 52 years, Morton, and her three beloved sisters. She leaves behind Kathy F. Lewis of Fayetteville and Patti (Burk) Sims of Hazen, grandchildren Ashley (David) Ashton of Salt Lake City, Utah, Katherine Lewis of West Nyack, N.Y., Kathy Lee Carter of Fayetteville, Joe B. Carter Jr. of Fayetteville, Lori (Brad) Caviness of Hazen, and Luke (Amanda) Carter of Hazen. Great-grandchildren include Noah, Aida, and Lily Ashton, Parker, Perry and Pierce Caviness, Spencer and Carly Jo Carter, Joe B. Carter III and Kristine (Jake) Johnson. In her last years, Hazel also enjoyed the company of her niece Pat (Richard) Goheen and son, Jake, of Benton, Ark. Visitation will be Thursday, Oct. 15 from 12:30 to 1:30 at the Griffin-Leggett Funeral Home in North Little Rock. A funeral service will be held immediately afterward at 2 in the chapel there with Pastor John Sammons officiating. Interment will follow at the adjoining Rest Hills Cemetary. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hazel's favorite charity: Arkansas Children's Hospital, 1 Children's Way, Little Rock, Ark. 72202.