Hazel Regina Johnson Embry, 87, of Beaver Dam, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, at Beaver Dam Nursing and Rehab. She was born on March 17, 1926, in Johnson Bottoms in Ohio County near the Green River. She was one of six children of Arthur and Iris Elliott Johnson.
She grew up on the family farm though she was never destined for farm life. She was beautiful and smart, though she would never agree with those assessments, and she could be funny. She was also a great cook. She was raised to be a wife and mother, which is how she would identify herself. However, she also enjoyed working as an elementary teacher’s aide in Jefferson County school system providing support to students and teachers.
Hazel was a longtime member of Preston Highway Methodist Church in Louisville and Hartford Methodist Church. She loved God and her family. Though the quality of her final years was greatly diminished by Alzheimer’s disease, her essence remained gentle and kind.
She and Carl raised their family in Louisville, Ky., where they left many friends when they relocated to Beaver Dam in 1982, following Carl’s retirement. For more 30 years they lived in Beaver Dam and enjoyed the close proximity of extended family. During that same period, they escaped more than two decades of Kentucky winters while spending time with other newfound friends/snowbirds in Fort Myers, Fla. This was a period of great happiness for the couple.
Besides her parents, she was the preceded death by her husband, Carl Foster Embry, who passed away, Jan. 27, 2012. They were married for more than 65 years. She was also preceded in by three brothers, Billy Johnson, Azim Johnson, and Ray Johnson and one sister, Kathryn Dortch.
Survivors include three children, Karen Embry (Robert) Hodges of Geneseo, Ill., Edward Carl (Joyce) Embry of Bowling Green, Ky., and Patti (Jeff) Embry-Tautenhan of Columbia, S.C.; one sister, Ruby Johnson Lanier of Memphis, Tenn.; two sisters-in-law, Kay Johnson of Hartford and Lennie Johnson of Pensacola, Fla. She was blessed with four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Many nieces and nephews also survive.
Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at William L. Danks Funeral Home in Beaver Dam, with Rev. Glenn Armstrong officiating. Burial will be in Sunnyside Cemetery in Beaver Dam. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. until 8p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. until time of service Saturday at the funeral home.
Her family wishes to thank the staff of Professional Care Health and Rehab and Beaver Dam Nursing and Rehab for their care and kindness during the last years of her life.
Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to one choice or the Hazel Embry Research Fund at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky, 138 Leader Avenue, Lexington, Ky. 40536.
Online messages of condolence can be made at www.danksfuneralhome.com.