This is a memorial space to celebrate the life of one of our own, dearest Hazel Large.
Not only did she have a large surname, but she was also larger than life itself and was not scared to have large, big dreams. Her twinkly eyes always sparkled with mischief and lit up when she talked about her passions, as a missionary, a teacher, a mentor, a friend, a hogsbackian and as a dedicated daughter of God.
She lived a simple life and always took joy in the little things. She shared what she had abundantly with those around her, wherever she went. Her laughter was contagious and she brought sunshine and stories and a sense of home, even though she was a nomad, even here in Hogsback.
Even though she did not get to finish her earthly Hogsback home, we know that she is now in her heavenly home, probably driving God crazy with stories and titbits and plans. How wonderful!
But, we will miss you dearly, Hazel Large!
Memorial Service (Cape Town)
Hazel’s memorial service will be at CHRIST CHURCH, RICHMOND ROAD, KENILWORTH at 2.30 pm on THURSDAY 9 DECEMBER. It will be live-streamed from this page on Thursday. Numbers for in-person attendance at that service will be limited due to Covid, and you will need to sign up to attend (see button below). Although numbers are limited, we still have quite a lot of space, so please don’t feel you need to hold back.
For those who cannot attend, you can watch the service online below on Thursday 9 December at 2h30pm. Set a reminder for yourself to tune in.
Memorial Letter
Feel free to share your Hazel story below in the comments.
What Hazel is doing right now (taken from her Facebook page)
Here is a little capture of the Hazel we loved, her sense of humour, her optimism in trying times:
Living with adult ADHD
So remember hazel as she will be lurking in every glimmer:
I met her on one occasion before she left to go to Mali and just connected straight away. It is a great pity that she passed so suddenly. My condolences to her family and friends.
(Monica Hof-whatsapp)
Larger than life with a zest and passion that was indomitable. We didn’t know her well but the few times we met left a wonderful impression. A great loss to Hogsback. Sincere condolences to her family and friends.
Oh my word! Rest eternal grant unto her, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her.
The very sad news is that we have heard of the passing of Hazel Large during the last few days. She celebrated her 60th birthday a while ago and was looking forward to Christmas with family at Hogsback. She was kind and passionate about literacy, being our missionary in Mali. RIP.
That is devastating news, Trevor. Such a shock. Hazel was such a feisty, courageous woman with so much to offer the world. Please call on us if the family needs anything. MHDSRIP.
On behalf of SIL LEAD, I would like to express our sincerest condolences to Hazel’s family and friends. We have had the privilege of working with and getting to know Hazel through the LiNEMA project in Mali. We are in shock at her passing and are wondering how the project can even proceed without her. We will do all that we can to ensure that it does so that the children of Mali who she loved so dearly will have the reading materials they need and deserve. Hazel will be missed by us and by countless others. The world was a better place because of Hazel and will not be the same without her.
I met Hazel in Niger years ago. She hosted me for dinner when I was visiting from the States. I will always remember her love for her cat and her big compost pile outside her house. She inspired me to compost EVERYTHING. I connected with her again, remotely, this past year as she worked on a new project in SIL Mali. Remembering her brings a smile to my face because she welcomed me, a stranger but a sister in the Lord. She was down-to-earth, gracious, and humble.
Hazel was like a family member to me: her regular visits, with her laundry bag & computer always meant a day, being spent together. While her laundry was washed, she was on her computer connecting to her Mali office, via a reliable Internet. Coffee breaks were interaction times, covering many, many aspects of life, of improvements on her plot, of Mali literacy issues, as well as a catch up on her family members who we came to know over the years.
A gentle soul, soft spirit and always warm, peaceful and kind.
Her place in our hearts will remain forever….
Our Anderson family has known Hazel and the Large’s for over 50 years.
Hazel,, this is a huge shock for us all but especially for Sharon Col and David and all her family.
We had such lovely holidays together, walking to St Mike’s beach at night,,,talking,,,picnicking ,,,,donkey bites ,,,
Lots of love ❤️
Hazel sat behind me in the pew at St Patrick’s on the Hill, Hogsback the Sunday before last, and we realized we shared a birthday (well almost). We were both congratulated in that service by Trevor for our 60th birthdays! Actually mine was my 50th-so we shared a chuckle! So sad to realise that it was near her last days. What a lovely, open hearted and generous spirited person. How we are all the poorer for her absence, whilst she the richer for her passing! Rest in eternal peace, Hazel
Oh ! C’était en février 2020 que je l’ai rencontrée à Nairobi dans une conférence des acteurs d’alphabétisation. Une relation a commencé. Nous avions ensemble travaillé, partager les joies et tant d’espoirs… Et voilà que maintenant qu’elle quitte ce monde. C’est vraiment triste qu’elle soit décédée si soudainement. Toutes mes condoléances à sa famille ses collègues et ses amis.
Je pensais la revoir encore dans nos prochaines rencontres. Mais cela prend fin aujourd’hui et nous ne pourrons plus l’avoir parmi nous. La mort nous sépare de toi aujourd’hui mais nous espérons te revoir auprès de notre Seigneur.
I had the great pleasure of getting to know Hazel over the course of a year while we worked on the Begin with Books project together. She was such a delightful soul – really the salt of the earth and she put her heart into everything she did. I’ll greatly miss her and I’m sure the children of Mali will always be grateful for the project that she helped start. Love you Hazel!
Michael and Charlotte Corden had the pleasure of meeting her on a number of occasions in South Africa when we came on furlough but also here in Queensland. Her smile and outgoing personality also brought a bright cheer to our hearts. There was also a cheeky tinge to her which we appreciated. And we were both cat lovers so shared various stories about cats and their antics.
Wondering what she thinks of moving from a rustic cottage to a mansion.
I visited Hazie for several months in Niger some years ago. She was so loved by the people there, for her kindness, generosity of spirit and her love of life and the Word.
I messaged one of the office staff I met there, and I’d like to share her response:
Hi Denise,
How are you doing? I heard the news this morning in a message sent by our regional Director. I don’t know what to say but what encourages me is, she is with our Lord Jesus Christ because she died in Christ. She is just resting from this world’s suffering.
It’s true, me and her have chatted together recently on whatsApp. We will give the news to all her friends in Niger. It is a big loss for the SIL organisation in general and specifically for Mali and Niger. Hazel is someone who has plenty of initiative. She loves people, many of her friends here Niger are africans. We are weeping this big separation. We pray to God, to help us to be prepared, to help us to stand faithful till the end. May she rest in peace and God bless her.
Give our sympathies to all her family members, to the relatives, to the friends and colleagues of work.
Shalom!
Florentine
I don’t know Hazel personally nor had the chance to hear or speak with her. But her passing on to glory and rest in the Lord speak volumes to me because that’s when OTHERS realise how precious she was, to earthly creatures and to the Lord.
Thank you for posting snippets of her life and the various comments of people who knew her, so that those of us who did not can get a chance of knowing her and can still join in prayers and praise for her life. All glory be to God.
May we all be courageous and face life challenges like Hazel, and may the light and love of Jesus shine through us especially during this time of remembering and celebrating Hazel’s earthly passage to heaven. Amen.
Eight or so months and then gone. I only began to get to know Hazel in late February-early March, 2021, as we began to shape – remotely – a reading project in Niger. Over those increasingly busy months, culminating in the final delivery at the end of October, we prayed, laughed, worked hard together and with colleagues in Niger and Burkina.
During that time, I lost count of how many places Hazel laid her head and the Internet connection challenges she faced. Juggling all this and another major project, I’m not sure that ‘resilient’ is enough to describe her. Maybe ‘loving’, ‘determined’, ‘passionate’, ‘gracious’ or ‘selfless’ get closer. Not surprisingly, she wasn’t always able to make it on time, but what wonderful, incisive thoughts and suggestions, the fruit of experience and passionate interest. How she produced the impressive desk-top edition of our work is a mystery to me, given the various challenges. We never did get to pick up and mull over things after that since we both needed a break. Our sadness is her gain as she now uses her creative skills face-to-face with our God and Father. Halleluia for you, dear Hazel but with deep sympathy for family and friends much closer than me.
We only knew Hazel as “our Missionary”..at St Patricks chapel and met her when she came to her special place on the mountain when on leave ..but got to know her better this year and shared many experiences of Hogsback and touched on Barrys missionary experiences in Africa and she longed to chat more but her time with us was cut short..God’s time is not ours..we connected from the beginning..and I longed to know her more.
I admired her fortitude in difficult circumstances,her longing to return to Mali..always came away being blessed by her presence and her words of courage .
The place God has prepared for you is just the perfect place.
We miss you.
Dearest Hazie – it still seems surreal that God took you so suddenly and so quietly….
Friends from our childhood family at Alice Baptist Church…we shared so much…
calling up those rock faces with waterfalls shadowing over us… waiting for the echo… eating those juicy oranges… running the the three-legged race at our Sunday school picnics….
Big gaps….
Then together again as if we were never separated…. sharing our love of nature, the outdoors, fascination of languages and how to reach people for our Lord….and how we reminisced about growing up in the Eastern Cape and our appreciation of our heritage and all its people….
You lived life to the full and I so enjoyed all your stories of all the places, people and the incredible work you did… Making your own furniture in Mali, to your home here at Hogsback…
I could go on and on…
Rest in peace,.. my dear dear friend….
It is with deep sadness that we heard the news of Hazel’s passing last week. We know what a great loss she represents to your SIL-LEAD team since she was an integral part of your efforts for many years. The All Children Reading team recognizes she was more than a project lead, but also a leading author of storybooks and advocate for all children in Africa and around the world. We are particularly grateful for one of her latest contributions – Aminata and the Red Spiky Ball, which is one of the book (with two levels) actually written to address the COVID pandemic.
I met Hazel at a SIL literacy event in Kenya in 2008. We immediately recognized that we were kindred spirits! Hazel’s joy, compassion, and service for the Lord will continue to have ripple effects for eternity.
Years ago, I came to Cape Town from Nairobi for an academic conference. Somehow Hazel found out I was coming, and she invited me on a 2-day guided tour of Cape Town after the conference. It was lovely! My first chance – but not my last – to be the beneficiary of Hazel’s charm, her love for life, and her readiness to find fun wherever it might be lurking.
Hazel was living proof that the Lord gives us challenges in life in order to make us more like His Son. She is now perfectly at rest and perfectly happy. Hazel, I will find you again someday in Heaven for a big hug, a laugh, and a cuppa!
Hazie a salt of the earth person who was always ready with a smile and a chuckle. My love and condolences to Colleen, Sharon, her brother and their families. She will leave a huge void but she left wonderful memories behind for so many. She will always be loved. She is now home safe and sound….
Chez les Zarma du Niger, nous disons que « tant que tu n’es pas resté avec quelqu’un, ne dit jamais que tu le connais »
Mon histoire avec Hazel commence en 2010. Apres deux années d’études à la FATEAC ma femme et moi étions revenus au pays pour les vacances. Hazel a accepté de nous héberger dans son appartement.
C’est là que j’ai découvert véritablement qui est Hazel. A l’époque, elle travaillait dans le projet zarma (avec la production des syllabaires) et avait contribué pour que la révision de la bible en zarma soit prise en charge par les églises zarma. Elle voyait en moi de l’espoir qu’après mes études, je jouerai un grand rôle dans la traduction en zarma.
Le soir âpres le diner, on pouvait passer des heures à discuter de nos projets de nos rêves, bref de l’avenir. Hazel avait un cœur pour l’environnement et la nature, elle disait souvent qu’avec les conditions nécessaires elle est capable de reverdir le désert du Niger. Elle aimait l’agriculture et derrière sa maison elle avait transformé l’espace qui était là en jardin. C’est avec elle que j’ai compris qu’il ne faut jamais jeter les déchets venant de la cuisine et j’ai compris comment les transformer en compost. Il y a aussi le projet pour le recyclage des déchets (carton, boite etc. ) en nouveau produit utilisable. Il y a tellement à dire sur les rêves et les aspirations de Hazel pour un monde meilleur.
Je pense également aux veuves qu’elle a soutenues et encourage malgré ses moyens limités. Beaucoup de familles et amis lui rendent hommages en cette douloureuse circonstances.
Elle me parlait également de sa future maison qu’elle veut acheter et en faire elle-même la construction. Elle veut être proche de la nature à contempler les oiseaux une fois à la retraite.
Mais hélas, Dieu a décidé autrement. Nous garderons qu’en tant que Père céleste, Dieu a choisi le meilleur pour elle. Demeurer avec lui dans la plus belle maison éternelle. Toute la famille du Niger et de SIL en particulier prient que Dieu fortifie sa famille dans son pays natal et nous aussi qui l’aimons tant.
That was such a beautiful, touching, moving service. Thanks for putting it together and streaming it for those of us far away. Made me wish I had had time to get to know her better than I did. I met her for the first time when she visited Mali years ago, and then a few times when I went back to Bamako after I had moved back to Ivory Coast. We did have a chance to get to know each other a little better through our zoom meetings (from the time of covid) with our Bamako Singles group. I especially appreciated her empathetic heart, the care and concern she expressed when she asked about follow-up to a prayer request one of us had shared weeks ago. You could hear the realness, the genuine interest and concern in her heart. May the Lord wrap His loving arms around all of you who are grieving and be especially close to you in the coming weeks, months and years. May He give you the peace that passes all understanding, knowing that He will one day wipe away all of our tears.