Jane C. Hazen

"South Hadley, Jane C. (Clark) Hazen, of South Hadley, passed away, surrounded by her loving family on August 18, 2019. Born on March 13, 1931, in Charleroi PA, she was the daughter of the late Harry and Lydabelle (Woodward) Clark. Jane was the beloved wife of Thomas N. Hazen, and a beloved grandmother known to her entire family as “Jaina.” Jane led a busy and very active life. She grew up in Selinsgrove PA, and attended Penn State University for a year. She married Frederick W. Johnson, a USAF officer, in 1950. She raised a family while moving 18 times in 18 years, living at military bases abroad and in the US, including in Japan, Spokane WA, England, Los Angeles and finally Westover AFB. She was a loving and devoted mother. Jane attended UMass (Amherst) where she studied music and education and earned a BA. Jane subsequently taught for a decade in elementary schools in Amherst, and then worked for another ten years as an executive and technical recruiter, placing professionals throughout the country. Jane married the love of her life, Thomas N. Hazen (known to his grandkids as “Taza”), of Hazen Paper Company, in 1974. Both were active members of the First Congregational Church in South Hadley, sang in the choir, and participated in many charitable activities over the years. Friends and family have fond memories of parties at Jane and Tom’s house on College View Heights in South Hadley. Jane loved social events, singing, dancing, and the arts. In the early 1960s, she performed in musical roles as the romantic lead with the Bury St. Edmunds Operatic Society in England. She continued to perform as an actress and a singer, including as a member of the Golden Girls Trio in Holyoke. In 1996, Jane was chosen Ms. Senior Massachusetts and represented MA in the Ms. Senior America competition in New Orleans the following year. This opportunity to compete offered some recognition for her lifelong joy in performance and pursuit of excellence. More recently, she continued her passion for the arts as a docent for the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. Jane ensured her blended family was well cared for, and everyone remembers her to be more attentive to the needs of others than to her own. In addition to her husband Tom, Jane is survived by her children, Clark Johnson PhD of Granby, Frederick W. Johnson Jr. of Torrance CA, and Daphne Johnson Hanrahan of Madison NJ; step-children, John Hazen of South Hadley, Maria Hazen Lewis of Furlong PA, and Thomas W. D. Hazen of Florence; and twelve grandchildren: Elizabeth Johnson PhD, Scott Hanrahan, Carolyn Hanrahan, Jessica Johnson, Jeremy Johnson, Abigail Hazen, Katherine Hazen JD, Emily Hazen, Megan Hazen, Samuel Lewis, John Lewis, and Madison Lewis. Visitation will be held on Friday August 23 from 5 to 7 PM at the Beers and Story South Hadley Funeral Home, 646 Newton Street. A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 PM Saturday August 24 in the Loomis Village auditorium, 20 Bayon Drive, South Hadley. The burial at Evergreen Cemetery will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Jane’s memory may be made to the First Congregational Church in South Hadley and to Girls Inc. of the Valley ."