Obituary of Hazel Wilson

Hazel NMN Wilson was born in Harlem, Georgia, August 17, 1930; the sixth of nine children. She was born in the veil. The daughter of a "share-cropper", she loathed the dirt of the "family farm", with nothing to protect her bare feet from the "chicken poop" which squished between her toes when it rained… In the 12 short years that Hazel would know her mother, she absorbed many skill sets... Caring for the very young… Soaking in a passion for experimentation in the kitchen… Mastering such fine crafts as knitting and sewing; hobbies that would subsequently translate into additional income. Despite her distain for the environment, Hazel came to love "working the earth". As she strove to create her space called "home", Mother would have nearly a hundred thriving plants, each with an individual name… With the death of her Mother and her Father's unwillingness to retain the integrity of the nuclear family, Hazel found herself - at the tender age of 14 - in Philadelphia, PA, living with a "cousin". The confusing disruption led to pregnancy and the birth of the first of her two sons, Samson Wilson, later to be renamed Samuel Lynn Jones; the task of child-rearing would pre-empt completion of high-school, despite the fact she had been given a scholarship to attend an elite prep school. Samuel would be the first of many grandchildren to Luther and Polly Wilson. They would leave Philadelphia - when Samuel was but two months' old - seeking new beginnings in Rochester, NY where several of her sisters already resided, equipped with only one shopping bag and bus fare. As Samuel turned two, a second son was born, David Gordon Chisholm. Financially encumbered by welfare, what began as a potential "traditional family" would deteriorate into "Hazel and the Boys". Irrespective of the stigma, her ghetto-based apartment became a formal model of success to the broader community; this very determined woman was not to be deterred by idle chatter. By October of 1960, having spent over a decade working two full-time jobs as a nurse's assistant, Hazel was finally able to move her small family out of "The Projects" and into their first stand-alone house. She continually lived up to her motto: "you can make it if you try". Hazel was a dreamer with feet - she would take her boys and ride the bus "loop to loop", wondering out loud, as they peered through the windows… Truly, as GOD would have it, through steady work and an absolute hold on her children, both boys graduated from high school. Ultimately, she would endure the murder of her second son, and relish the unimaginable feats of the first, beginning with his college graduation! On the home front, after 30 years of 16 hour days, she was able to purchase her dream home, complete with a backyard stream; a home she enjoyed with "Cisshe", a very special cocker spaniel and several nieces and nephews, who would come to stay for unspecified periods of time. For Hazel work was a delight, as epitomized by her contentment of later years. She also enjoyed travel, as well as the marvel of her grandchildren, Dhani Makalani and Akila Maisha Jones, witnessing their births in California and Japan respectively. She would engage and indulge the children in pure wonderment, as they lived a life completely beyond her imagination; "How far the LORD has brought us", she would say! She would witness the rise of her grandson from college graduation to the NFL, eventually "returning" to Philadelphia as a Professional Football Star; redemption to both grandmother and dad's uncanny beginning. She would witness the birth and life of two Great Granddaughters, Cecelia Rose and Sadie Grace. Sometimes she would sit in absolute wonderment at the hand of GOD! By virtue of having been borne in the veil, she always maintained - even in a state of dementia - an uncanny "wisdom of the ages" blessing friends and strangers alike. And, now, in "coming home" on January 22, 2010… you can hear her gentle whisper, it is well with my soul… In Lieu of flowers, well wishers can make donations to the Heifer Foundation - in the name of Hazel Wilson. the details are: website: heiferfoundation.org phone number: 888-422-1161