Betty Jean Hazelbaker

Betty Hazelbaker, 73, of Perkins, Oklahoma, passed peacefully from this life Sunday morning, August 20, 2017, at Tulsa’s Hillcrest Medical Center after a short battle against cancer. Betty’s funeral service will be held at Palmer Marler Funeral Home Chapel in Stillwater at 11am on Friday, August 25, with interment at the Perkins Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Thursday, August 24 from 9am to 8pm at the funeral home.

Betty served Oklahoma State University as Assistant Director of Financial Aid from 1968 to 1979 and later served as Director of Financial Aid at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, where she retired.

Betty and her husband, Bob Hazelbaker, were committed fans of OSU Football. During the twenty-four years they lived in Galveston, they drove to Stillwater for every home football game and also attended many away games.

They moved back to Stillwater in October 2008 after Hurricane Ike damaged their home in Galveston. Shortly after Bob passed away in December 2009, Betty had a home built on a portion of the Hazelbaker family farm west of Perkins, where she enjoyed the rest of her life being more closely involved in the activities of other family members—all of whom love and greatly miss her.

In retirement Betty continued to find ways to use her talents and skills to contribute to the success of others. Betty was a faithful member of Cimarron Worship Center in Perkins and served the congregation as church bookkeeper. And at the time of her death she was serving as bookkeeper for Legend Lawn Services, a company operated by her nephews, Lynn Hazelbaker, Jr. and Joshua Hazelbaker.

Betty Jean Lucas was born on March 11, 1944 to Elizabeth and Donald Lucas in Pinellas County, Florida. She lived most of her early life in California, where she married Bobby Wayne Hazelbaker on December 25, 1966. They lived in Inglewood, California until moving to Perkins in 1968.

Betty is survived by two sisters, Beverly Kloppenborg of San Jose, California, and Susie Jardine of Satsuma, Florida; three brothers, Don Lucas of Palm Springs, California, Gerald Drescher of East Palatka, Florida, and Lewis Drescher of Deland, Florida; step-daughter, Debbie (Hazelbaker) Humphrey and husband Greg of Perkins; two grandchildren, Jeremy Humphrey and wife Jennifer of Stillwater, and Cody Humphrey and wife Kirstin of Stillwater; two great-grandchildren, Lukas and Kennedy Humphrey; two sisters-in-law, Joan Hazelbaker of Perkins, and Carmelita Johnston of Rock Hill, South Carolina; two brothers-in-law, Lynn Edward Hazelbaker and wife Melveta of Perkins, and Ronald Paul Hazelbaker and wife Joan of Bullhead City, Arizona; and several nieces and nephews.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents; husband Bob; father-in-law Paul Hazelbaker; mother-in-law Irene Hazelbaker; brother-in-law Gary Hazelbaker; and one sister, Donna Kay (Lucas) Garvon.

Memorial contributions can be made in Betty’s name to the Cimarron Worship Center of Perkins, C/O Palmer Marler Funeral Home, 5106 N. Washington St., Stillwater, Oklahoma 74075.