Ventura – December 13, 1934 to April 1, 2022
Born in Ventura, CA to parents Thomas H. Wilkins and Mary Anna Wilkins, the youngest of four sisters, Hazel Mae graduated from Ventura High School and worked in her father’s compressor repair business where she learned to operate some heavy equipment and to drive trucks. She met the love of her life Robert A. Martin, Jr. (Bob) when he was a Seabee stationed at Port Hueneme Naval Base and after his discharge from the Navy they married and had their only child, Samuel M. Martin (Sam), as well as fostering Bob’s four siblings after their mother’s untimely passing.
Being a devout Christian, her earlier experience in her father’s business qualified her to be the Sunday School bus driver for the Ventura Four Square Church, which she did every Sunday morning for several years, bussing kids to Sunday School from Oak View to the East end of Ventura.
Hazel Mae loved to travel with her husband Bob in their motor home and were members of various RV clubs throughout their retirement years, visiting most of the United States and attending numerous music festivals and events in which Bob, being a talented musician and entertainer, would participate.
Hazel Mae was a compassionate caregiver to many relatives, friends and neighbors during their final days and worked tirelessly to provide those in need with comfort, solace and prayer, including her husband, Bob and her three sisters as well as several of their children.
A very religious and strong willed woman, after losing her battle with cancer, Hazel Mae went to meet her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on April 1, 2022. She is survived by her son Sam Martin, his wife Denise, their sons, Kenny and Danny, brother-in-law Don Martin, his wife Laura Martin and their daughter Heather Wood. She is predeceased by husband Bob and sisters Inabel Hurt, Mary Lee Cox and Ruth Ragsdale. She was active in and supported many charitable causes in Ventura and will be greatly missed by those who knew and loved her.
Posted online on April 12, 2022
Published in Ventura County Star