Hazel Cooper Schlegel

Hazel Cooper Schlegel, 90, passed away on September 19, 2015, in Springdale, Arkansas. She was born on September 29, 1924, in DeRidder, Louisiana to the late John L. and Eva (Rodgers) Cooper, who lovingly nicknamed her "Billie" because she was as sweet as Sweet William Phlox. Billie earned an Associates of Arts from Lamar College, Beaumont, Texas, in 1943, after which she gained her first teaching experience in a one-room school house in coastal East Texas. She returned to complete her Bachelor of Science in Education at Sam Houston State Teachers College, in Huntsville, Texas, in 1948. She left east Texas to begin her life in far west Texas, teaching in Grandfalls. It was here she met her future husband, Philip Rush Schlegel, a farmer from Fort Stockton, Texas, whom she married on December 20, 1950. She also taught in Fort Stockton schools and later served as the FSHS librarian, before retiring to become a full time mother to her three children. She is survived by her son, Tom Schlegel and his wife Kathy of Odessa, Texas; daughters, Helen Schlegel and Betty Dodson both of Springdale, Arkansas; sister, Betty Ann Mitchem of Phoenix, Arizona; sister-in-law, Louise Schlegel McKinney of Jackson, Mississippi; and two grandchildren, Nicholas and Megan Dodson. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and six siblings. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 9 a.m. at Circle of Life, Earlene Howard Hospice Home, 901 Jones Rd., Springdale, Arkansas. A small family gathering will occur at a later date in East Hill Cemetery, Fort Stockton. In lieu of flowers, the family requests local donations be made in her honor to the charity of your choice. Online condolences can be made at www.rollinsfuneral.com.