Roger Hazlewood

ROGER HAZLEWOOD June 26, 1941 to August 16, 2011 February of 2010, Roger was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer, with an expectation of six months to live. Through his phenomenal personal determination and with the help of his mother and his daughter, Roger maintained good enough health to remain active and productive until June of this year. During the 1960s, Roger served in the Navy where he worked his way up to a position as the photographer in charge of the photo lab on board the USS Dixie. He had the privilege of developing film that Apollo Astronauts exposed on the first trip to the Moon and Roger printed some of the first pictures of Earth that were ever taken from the Moon. In 1973, after obtaining a forestry degree from NAU in Flagstaff, Roger moved to Cortez and settled in McElmo Canyon, where he eventually built a house which is capable of operating completely “Off the grid”, as he has always been passionate about conservation and self sufficiency. He is familiar to everyone in the area who reads the newspaper because of his frequent, conservative leaning “Letters to the Editor”. He always kept up on current political issues and cared deeply about preserving the freedoms that Americans have. His other passion, the shooting sports, is one that he is well known for in this community. Roger has instructed thousands of people from the four corners area about handgun safety over the past twenty years while conducting the class that is required in order to obtain a concealed carry permit in Montezuma County. He also coached the kid’s 4-H shooting team with great success for many years. His cheerful sense of humor and quick wit have endeared him to thousands of area residents. Surviving family members include his mother, Marguerite Rogers of Cortez, brother, Denis Hazlewood of Petaluma CA, daughter Ahna Hazlewood and her husband Jonathan Clark their two sons Jack and Riley Clark, all of Cortez, and long time family friend Steve Artherton, also of Cortez. Surviving friends are too numerous to list. Hundreds of friends and thousands of acquaintances will remember Roger fondly. Final services will be held at Lifeway Baptist Church on Saturday, August 20, 2011 at 10:00am. The public is welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers cards or donations, an appropriate way to show your appreciation to Roger would be to make a financial donation to the candidate who runs against Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election.