Memorial Trees
L
Lori Ploeger Fellah
November 30, 2024
Memorial trees planted for:
Hazel Foltz
<p>Hazel Irene Smith Foltz, avid crocheter, voracious reader, and devoted mother and grandmother, died on November 14, 2024. Hazel was the youngest of five siblings and was born on April 5, 1929, to parents Herbert and Iva (Hightshoe) Smith in rural Decatur County Iowa. Her family were sharecrop farmers; moving every March, they rented farmland from banks during the depression. She was her daddy’s little girl and remembers sitting on his lap every night listening to him read the funnies to her. Growing up with very little taught her how to turn a dime into a dollar, a skill she used her entire life as a farm wife and mother of five.</p><p><br></p><p>She graduated from Mount Ayr High School in 1947 as the class salutatorian and homecoming queen. She married Claire Foltz, her high school sweetheart, on December 24, 1947. They moved to the farm north of Mount Ayr where they raised their family, with Claire farming for his father. Hazel was a homemaker, mother, and farm wife. Once the kids were in school, she worked as a checker at the Mount Ayr Hy-Vee.</p><p><br></p><p>She was a member of the Mount Ayr Christian Church, serving in many roles there. She was a Girl Scout leader and a member of the Neighborhood Card Club.</p><p><br></p><p>When Claire became ill, she managed the food service at the Youth Inn at the Iowa State Fair, travelled the Midwest selling advertising, and worked as a cashier at Bar-B truck stop and at K-Mart in Des Moines.</p><p><br></p><p>Her proudest accomplishment was raising five kids who grew up to be decent individuals in spite of her. She leaves a rich inheritance that extends beyond material things or zeros in a bank account. She passes on to her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren a valuable inheritance by living a Christian life of character and decency focused on the things that matter most. Plus a stockpile of crocheted kitchen towels that will outlive her for many years.</p><p><br></p><p>She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers, and sister; husband Claire, and children: Nanci Irving, Ned Foltz, and Kaye Ward.</p><p><br></p><p>Left to miss her hearty laugh, sense of humor, and bright smile are: Lee (Linda) Foltz, and Lynne Foltz; 14 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.</p><p><br></p><p>Memorial gifts can be made to the Alzheimer Association or St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.</p><p><br></p>April 5, 1929 - November 14, 202404/05/192911/14/2024
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