James "Jim" Robert Hazelwood

March 21, 1931 - December 6, 2018

James “Jim” Robert Hazelwood, Sr, age 87, passed away peacefully in a V.A. Care Facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Thursday, December 6, 2018, surrounded by family. Born on March 21, 1931 just outside Williamsburg, Virginia to the late Stanley Sanford Hazelwood and Ethel Walls Hazelwood, Jim spent the first 55 years of his life in the rural town of Toano, where from a young age he spent all of his spare time farming. As a young man, he served in the Air Force during the Korean War, where he was the sole survivor of an air mission over North Korea. When his supply plane came under fire, Jim managed to parachute safely while the lives of all others on board were lost in a subsequent plane crash. He then stealthily hiked for three nights before reaching an ally camp just over the South Korean border. After returning to the United States, Jim settled into a farm directly adjacent to his childhood home in Toano, raised a large family, and had a long career with the Federal Aviation Administration, working at Byrd Airport (now Richmond International Airport) until retirement at age 55. He then moved to Florida with his family for several years before ultimately missing rural life and relocating to Mantee, Mississippi, where he spent 25 years on a large farm growing vegetables and raising farm animals before moving to live near his children for the final stage of his life. Jim is survived by his wife, Patricia Hazelwood, as well as 10 of his 12 children, 25 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Surviving relatives include his brother, Donald Hazelwood of Toano, VA, and his children Bonnie Hazelwood of Sandston, VA, Burt Hazelwood of Midlothian, VA, James Hazelwood, Jr. of Williamsburg, VA, Pattie Christensen of Draper, UT, Donald Hazelwood of Salt Lake City, UT, Amy Hazelwood of Melbourne, FL, Mike Hazelwood of Brandon, FL, Kim Hazelwood Cettei of San Jose, CA, Chris Hazelwood of Tampa, FL, and Kate Anast of Brandenton, FL. Jim was preceded in death by his parents Stanley and Ethel, his brothers William Stanley Hazelwood and Calvin Hazelwood, and two of his children, Robert “Dean” Hazelwood and LeeAnn Johnson. A memorial service will be held at the Vincent Funeral Home in Providence Forge, Virginia on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 2:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a Veterans charity of your choosing.