Pat Hazledine

Patricia Sears Hazledine was born in Chamberlain, South Dakota, on March 9, 1933, to John and Eva Sears. She joined her parents and older sister Shirley on the family ranch south of Belvidere, South Dakota. Pat had many good memories of living on the ranch (doing early morning chores with her dad and jumping off the chicken coop to learn to fly) and starting school in Belvidere. The family moved to Spearfish, South Dakota, in 1946.  Pat graduated from Spearfish High School in 1951. She then attended Colorado Women’s College in Denver for one semester, where she majored in theater, wrote scripts, and acted in plays. After that semester she returned to Spearfish and earned her teacher’s certificate at Black Hills Teacher’s College.

Pat married Gerald Hazledine on November 21, 1954. Gerry and Pat had four children together: Linda Kay, Lawrence John, Sandra Lea, and Michael Todd. The family lived in several places over the years, where Gerry worked as a schoolteacher. In addition to being a stay-at-home mother for years, Pat worked as a kindergarten teacher in Belle Fourche, a substitute teacher, and later shared her love of history by working at the Carbon County Museum in Rawlins, Wyoming. She and Gerry moved back to Spearfish in 2000, “snow birding” down to Casa Grande, Arizona, for several years. They moved to Rushville, Nebraska, in May of 2017.

Pat was a lifelong member of the United Methodist Church. She was a member of the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, and a member of Jobs Daughters. She was a Red Hatters member and made it to as many Spearfish High School girl’s coffees as possible. Pat enjoyed reading books of all genres, dancing, camping, crafts, and musicals. She was a huge and loyal Bronco’s fan. Later in life, she came to enjoy and regularly watched “Dancing with the Stars”. Pat was an energetic, compassionate, caring and kind woman her entire life and made lifelong friends wherever she lived. Pat had great pride in all of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great interest in all of their endeavors, achievements, hopes and dreams.

Pat peacefully passed away on May 29, 2022, with her family by her side. She is preceded in death by her parents John and Eva Sears, her sister Shirley (Sears) Bickel, her son Lawrence John Hazledine, and granddaughter Sophia Rose Jones-Hazledine. She is survived by her husband of 67 years Gerald Hazledine, daughters Linda (John) Nemec of Midland, SD, and Sandra Lowery of Belle Fourche, SD, son Michael (Cate Jones) Hazledine of Rushville, NE, grandchildren Jessica (Jon) Gamotis, Heather Lowery, Rachael Lowery, Evan Jones-Hazledine, Benjamin Jones-Hazledine and Ivy Jones-Hazledine, great-grandson Leon Gamotis and her nephews, nieces and their families. She is loved and will be sadly missed.

Memorial Services will be held August 20, 2022, 10:00AM at the Spearfish United Methodist Church, Spearfish, SD. A memorial has been established and donations may be sent to Chamberlain-Pier Funeral Home, PO Box 366, Gordon, NE 69343.