Jack Cooke Hazlewood – November 29, 2016

hazlewood-obit-picJack Cooke Hazlewood, 89, of Amarillo, died Tuesday, November 29, 2016.

Graveside services will be at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, December 3, 2016 at Memorial Park Cemetery East Mausoleum.  Arrangements are by Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.

Jack was born on February 13, 1927 in Amarillo to James Auti Hazlewood and Jewel Lucille Hazlewood.  He graduated from Amarillo High School in 1945.  He served in the Air Force in the European Theatre from 1945-1946.  He attended Amarillo College and the University of Texas where he earned a BBA in 1949 and later a law degree with honors in 1952, graduating 3rd in his class.  While attending law school he received the highest awards available in each of all six major scholastic categories as well as served as Editor of the Law Review.

He was past president of the Amarillo Bar Association; past director of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association; past chairman of the Texas Bar Association Grievance Committee, and past chairman of the City of Amarillo’s Planning and Zoning Commission.  He practiced law in Amarillo and in the Tri-State area from June 1952 until his retirement in 2012.He was board certified in civil trial law and personal injury law.

Jack married Mary Elizabeth Jane Archer on September 1, 1950 in Amarillo. They were happily married for 60 years until her death on October 7, 2010.

Family was so important to Jack and he especially enjoyed spending time with his sons, Richard and David riding motorcycles in the Canadian riverbed.  Sadly, he lost Richard too soon, but was so proud that David followed in his footsteps into the legal profession.  They had many stimulating conversations about legal issues as Jack was a seeker of knowledge and truly loved the law.  As much as he loved his sons, his daughter, Anne-Marie was the light of his life and he adored her.  Jack was an avid story and joke teller. He especially enjoyed exchanging tales with Anne, his beloved daughter-in-law, also a lawyer. Jack often looked to Anne to be his advocate during lively family debates.

For many years in Amarillo, Jack enjoyed the camaraderie of his ROMEO group (Retired Old Men Eating Out).  They met frequently to exchange stories and share lunch.

In the last several years he resided at Prestonwood Court-Senior Living in Plano, Texas and took great pleasure in leading his current events group every Friday at 10:00am.  He would occasionally encounter problems with his printer before his meeting, and Blair, his beloved son-in-law, would have to be on call and ready to assist with technical problems.

Jack was a talented artist and enjoyed showing some of his many paintings at a formal Exhibition at Prestonwood Court.  He loved to paint scenes from the National Geographic, draw caricatures on napkins while waiting for his meal at a restaurant or just doodle on a legal pad.

He had a quick wit and a sharp sense of humor and it remained with him until the very end. While he was in the hospital, one of the last things he asked Blair to do was “get me out of here”.

He was a man of integrity, had a passion for politics and was a fierce fighter for the underdog. He always had a smile on his face and a kind word for everyone. He was a true gentleman and a loving family man. Former Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen once described Jack as “one of the finest Texans I know”.  That he was.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; a son Richard Hazlewood; a sister-in-law, Dr. Luta Bob Archer Roberts; three brothers-in-law, Dr. John Archer, Judge Branch T. Archer, Jr. and Larry Roberts.

He is survived by a son, David Hazlewood and his wife, Anne Morris Hazlewood of Lubbock; a daughter, Anne-Marie Hazlewood Taylor and her husband Blair Taylor, of Celina; a brother-in-law, Dr. Richard K. Archer, and his wife, Ruth Archer, of Amarillo; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Archer of Amarillo;  his  grandchildren, John David Hazlewood of Lubbock; Cheston Taylor of Krum; Bridgette Taylor West of Denison; and Travis Taylor of Chicago Illinois; his cousin-in-law Mrs. J. W. Foust of Amarillo; and cousins in Houston, Arizona and California; beloved great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews.

Jack’s family extends a special thank you to all of his friends and caregivers at Prestonwood Court in Plano for their love and support.

The family suggests memorials be sent to the American Heart Association. Click here to view the fund page for Jack Hazlewood Memorial Page

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://honor.americanheart.org/site/TR?pxfid=285317&pg=fund&fr_id=1030

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