Hazel Mae Howard

Hazel Holmes Loudermilk Howard passed away on Monday, January 23, 2023, in Marietta, Georgia. She would have been 103 this spring. She was born in Rayle, Georgia, to Walter and Ethel Holmes. Her father died when she was just four years old and her mother disposed of their farm and moved the family to a house across the street from the Inman Park Baptist church in Atlanta, Georgia. She was baptized there at age 11.

When she was 16 she married William (Bill) Loudermilk. Three years after their marriage, war broke out, Bill volunteered for the Navy and Hazel went to work for the U.S. Government where she had a long and successful career. She worked for the first Director of the then Communicable Disease Center (CDC), and one of her duties was issuing war bonds to employees through payroll. Bill came home from the war and they became active members of the First Baptist Church of Avondale Estates. The church and music were a big part of her life. Hazel was a member there for 56 years and for many of them she played the piano and sang in the choir.

Hazel became a widow, and in 1978 she married William Harlan Howard. After 36 years Hazel retired from CDC and her last position as Chief of the Commissioned Corps Office in the Personnel Management Office. Throughout her adult life, Boston Terriers were her constant companions. The family joke was that if anyone ever died and came back, they would want to come back as Aunt Hazel's dog. She also loved her flower garden, which was home to many birds that she enjoyed watching. She was an extraordinary entertainer, hosting huge family gatherings and never failing to have special things for the children in her life.

Hazel is preceded in death by her parents, two husbands, four brothers and two sisters. She is survived by a host of treasured nieces and nephews, their families, and the many other members of the Loudermilk and Howard families and dear friends of many years.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, January 28 from 2:30 - 3:30 with a Celebration of Life Service to follow at 3:30 at A. S. Turner & Son Funeral Home in Decatur. Internment will be at Melwood Cemetery.