Obituary for Hazel Mae Burch (Durbin)
Hazel Mae Burch was born on January 8, 1928, to Earnest and Dona Durbin in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma. She passed away on November 29, 2020, in Muleshoe, Texas, at the age of ninety-two years and ten months. Hazel married Fred Martin Burch in 1947, in Wewoka, Oklahoma.
Fred and Hazel moved with their newborn son to Lazbuddie in 1949, where they farmed until Fred’s death in 1986. She then moved to Clovis, New Mexico. Hazel was a homemaker, an accomplished seamstress, and an excellent cook. She worked alongside her husband in their farming operation and drove a truck during harvest time. She was a loving “Nana” to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As a child, Hazel learned hard work early as her family spent many years in migrant farm work throughout central Oklahoma. She hoed and picked cotton with her parents, four brothers, and three sisters. An infant brother had died soon after he was born, and Hazel remembered that several neighbor women came and put his tiny body in a shoebox for burial. Those were hard times, but she developed a strong work ethic, which stayed with her all of her life. She enjoyed singing, reading the Bible, and attending her church.
Hazel was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, her parents, five brothers and three sisters, and her son-in-law, Skip Magby. She is survived by her son, Kirby and wife Vickie, her daughter, Debbie Magby, seven grandchildren, and eighteen great-grandchildren. She will be remembered for her sense of humor, her willing hands, and her deep love for her family. The family is especially grateful for the kindness and commitment of her caregivers, Gina Hodges and Sissy Sharp. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Meals on Wheels.
Fred and Hazel moved with their newborn son to Lazbuddie in 1949, where they farmed until Fred’s death in 1986. She then moved to Clovis, New Mexico. Hazel was a homemaker, an accomplished seamstress, and an excellent cook. She worked alongside her husband in their farming operation and drove a truck during harvest time. She was a loving “Nana” to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
As a child, Hazel learned hard work early as her family spent many years in migrant farm work throughout central Oklahoma. She hoed and picked cotton with her parents, four brothers, and three sisters. An infant brother had died soon after he was born, and Hazel remembered that several neighbor women came and put his tiny body in a shoebox for burial. Those were hard times, but she developed a strong work ethic, which stayed with her all of her life. She enjoyed singing, reading the Bible, and attending her church.
Hazel was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, her parents, five brothers and three sisters, and her son-in-law, Skip Magby. She is survived by her son, Kirby and wife Vickie, her daughter, Debbie Magby, seven grandchildren, and eighteen great-grandchildren. She will be remembered for her sense of humor, her willing hands, and her deep love for her family. The family is especially grateful for the kindness and commitment of her caregivers, Gina Hodges and Sissy Sharp. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Meals on Wheels.