Hazel Velma Taylor Lindsay was born on October 13, 1915 in St. Louis, Mo., and passed away on Dec. 5, 2006.

She lived 91 years surrounded by love from countless family members and friends. She left school at the age of 14 to work in a dime store to help her family in lean times.

She married William Spencer Lindsay at 18 and moved to California with him when their son, Bill, was a toddler. Their daughter, Janice, was born in 1943, and the four Lindsays lived happily for many years in Compton, Calif.

When Bill was 52 and Hazel 49, he died suddenly, leaving her grieving and alone, with no skills to earn a living.

She went to work as a saleslady for Desmond’s and supported herself on a small salary until she retired. Hazel was proud of her self-sufficiency and her adaptability to change.

She was a traditional woman with boundless love for her husband and children, who knew comfort and security in the life she lived wholly for them. She knew that God watched over her every day of her life.

As the years began to take their toll, Hazel moved to assisted living in Vista, Calif., and then to beautiful San Juan Island to live with Janice and her husband, Rich.

At the end of a year and a terrible time with hip surgery and pneumonia, Hazel moved to Islands Convalescent Center. It became home.

She celebrated her 90th birthday and then her 91st, growing healthier and more beautiful every day in the care of the outstanding ICC staff.

Hazel’s children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were here with her to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Nana’s birth.

Hazel’s last year was a gift to us all. She was the queen of the ICC float on July 4, relishing every minute of that magic day.

She suffered a stroke in October that diminished her physically but did not impair her spirit. Speech was difficult. One day, her daughter asked her to try and say her name. Hazel said clearly, “I love Janice.”

She loved us all and we knew it. We all loved her and she knew that too.

One life ends and those left behind live on. Two grateful children, Bill and Janice, a devoted son-in-law, Richie, four grandchildren, Eric, Kira, Spencer, and Joe, and four great-grandchildren, Audrey, Eric, Kaya, and Kenna, will live on with precious memories of their beloved Nana. She is with Daddy now.