Hazel Heffernan | 1915 - 2022
Obituaries-Mobridge / Posted Nov 12, 2022 | 1:05 PM / 344 views
Funeral services for Hazel Heffernan, 107, of Sturgis formerly of Eagle Butte will be at 11 AM, Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at the UCC Church in Eagle Butte. Burial will be at the Eagle Butte Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will be one hour prior to services. Hazel passed away Friday, November 11, 2022 at the Sturgis Care Center.
Hazel “Mike” Louise Heffernan was born August 15, 1915 in rural Eagle Butte, SD to Earnest and Grace Blattner. Hazel married Edward “Ed” Heffernan on July 19, 1933, to this union they had 6 children Donald ”Donnie”, Nina, James “Jim”, Judy, Terry, and Pat. Hazel passed away on November 11, 2022 in Sturgis, SD at the Monument Health Sturgis Care Center.
Hazel and Ed lived on a ranch north of Eagle Butte where Ed worked for various ranches, including the Diamond A Cattle Company. Hazel was not your ordinary homemaker, she worked right along with her husband Ed, haying, working cows, and keeping up the house with the demands of being a wife and mother. They lived on the ranch for nearly 30 years before moving to Sturgis, SD in 1963.
In 1979 they relocated to Missouri and retired, where they enjoyed spending time with their children and grandchildren. Hazel and Ed were married for 50 years prior to his passing in 1983. Hazel returned to Sturgis in 1990.
Hazel was an avid baker, she loved trying new recipes and sharing the results of her baking which included chocolate covered cherries, peanut butter balls, oatmeal cookies, and many more goodies! She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, sewing, and playing cards. Hazel made sure that all the guys in the family had a handmade western shirt in all sizes, this included making them for her sons, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Hazel also loved making quilts and blankets for her grandchildren too. She loved kittens, babies, collecting knickknacks, and sharing her treasures with her family.
Not many families get the chance to have 5 generations, but Hazel’s long life blessed her family with this. It is believed that for the final 50 days of Hazel’s life, she was the oldest living woman in the state of South Dakota, a blessing not afforded to many.
Hazel is survived by her daughters Nina Zorc; Judy (Bo) Butler; sons Jim (Joann) Heffernan; Terry (Patty) Heffernan; and Pat (Beverly) Heffernan. Hazel is the grandmother to twenty grandchildren; thirty-seven great grandchildren; and thirty-seven great-great grandchildren. She had a special and caring relationship with her niece, Golda and Gilbert Diaz.
Hazel is proceeded in death by her husband Ed; son Donnie (Caroline) and two grandchildren; brothers Harold, Clarence, Harry, and Simon Blattner; sisters Rose Keckler, Edith Heffernan, Mabel Stapert, Alvena Joens, and Eleanor Wendt; and son-in-law Joe Zorc.