Miles City visitation: Friday, January 15, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles City. Family and friends will meet at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home at 12:30 p.m. to proceed to the Custer County Cemetery for at 1:00 p.m. graveside service.
Hazel Griffith Martenson passed away peacefully on January 10, 2010 at the Billings Clinic at the age of 82.
Hazel was born in Miles City, Montana to Harry and Selma Griffith in 1927. She attended grade school at Lincoln School and graduated Custer County High School in 1945. She soon started nursing school in North Dakota, but returned home during her first year to help care for her Father after a stroke. She and two of her close friends met the "Martenson Brothers" and Hazel married Dean Martenson in August of 1946. They soon started a family with Steve born in 1947 and Sandra in 1949. During the family's formative years, Hazel worked at a grocery store, florist and hardware store in Miles City and then set her sights on becoming a teacher. In 1962, she began a 2-year teachers program at (now called) the Miles Community College. Upon receiving her teacher's certificate, she began her career at a private school and soon obtained a position at Pine Hills School for Boys. During her early years at Pine Hills, she continued her education at Eastern Montana College and obtained her Bachelor's degree in Education with emphasis in Special Education in 1972. In 1988, she retired from Pine Hills School after 22 years service.
Dean and Hazel lived in Miles City most of their lives; however, they did love to "get away" on the weekends. They spent most of their retirement years going between the Griffith family home in Miles City, their mountain home in Red Lodge, and winter home in Mission, Texas. This satisfied Dean's love for fly fishing and Hazel's love for nature. In 2006, they moved to Mission Ridge at St. John's Lutheran Ministries in Billings.
Hazel is survived by her husband, Dean, her daughter, Sandie, her daughter-in-law Teresa, and five grandchildren. She will be most remembered for love of her family, her friends, her mountain home and nature, and her students.
Hazel was preceded in death by her sister Ellen Michaelson, Brother Harry Griffith, Jr. and her son Dean Steven Martenson.
A memorial will be held on Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 11:00 am at the St. Johns Lutheran Ministries Mission Ridge Chapel in Billings, MT. Miles City visitation will begin on Friday, January 15, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home in Miles City. Family and friends will meet at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home at 12:30 p.m. to proceed to the Custer County Cemetery for at 1:00 p.m. graveside service. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: www.stevensonandsons.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Mission Ridge Ministries; 3840 Rimrock Rd., Billings, MT or to the Miles City Salvation Army; Box 1202, Miles City, MT 59301. Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of Miles City has been entrusted with the arrangements.
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