Hazel M. (Kennedy) Pearce, of Burton, MI, passed peacefully into the next world on the early morning of Tuesday, June 27, at her assisted living home in Tampa, FL, surrounded by loved ones. Born in Burnside Twp, MI on June 29, 1917, Hazel was the third youngest, and last surviving of 8 siblings who grew up on a farm with their loving parents, Archie and Verna (Dawson) Kennedy. She married Alfred R. Pearce in Flint, MI on August 10, 1936, and had one daughter, Sue Anne (Pearce) Lopez. She worked for GM’s Fisher Body as an inspector for 35 years, and was a longstanding member of UAW Local 659. “Nanny” (as her grandchildren called her) spent her whole life caring for those around her, selflessly making sure her loved ones’ needs were met. Hazel also cared much for her community, and volunteered for both Goodwill and the Flint Over 80s Club. An avid walker, she walked the Mackinac Bridge 15 times, including the inaugural walk with the governor in 1958. She was a founding and long-term member of the Courtland Center Trailblazers, where her name remains on a plaque. She is survived by her grandchildren, David Lopez and Susan Lopez-Embury, as well as her great-grandson Sagan Embury, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her daughter Sue Ann in 1971 and her husband Alfred in 1989. Family, friends, and others whose lives Hazel touched are invited to celebrate her life Friday, July 21, 2017, at the Flint Golf Club. Service begins at 5pm with a dinner reception to follow. The family are making donations to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
