Hazel Bernice Thompson Yates was born May 13, 1934, in McPherson County, Nebraska, to Fay and J. Anabel (Waits) Thompson. She passed away peacefully on July 18, 2026, in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Hazel graduated from McPherson County High School and went on to attend Chadron State Teachers College. She later continued her studies at Elizabethtown Community College in Kentucky. On August 17, 1957, she married Delbert S. Yates. Together they raised two sons: LTC Everett F. Yates, Retired, of San Antonio, Texas, and James O. Yates of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Hazel spent many years in the Fort Knox, Kentucky, area, where she worked for the U.S. Army as a civilian employee and later with Fort Knox Dependent Schools. She began at Pierce Elementary School and retired as assistant to the Assistant Superintendent of Personnel.
After retiring, Hazel returned to Tryon, Nebraska, to care for her mother and later worked for Lincoln Public Schools. Hazel and Delbert remarried on October 20, 1990, and settled in Wallace, Nebraska, where Delbert worked as a rural mail carrier. In 2000, they moved to Ekron, Kentucky, where they raised miniature horses, pygmy goats, and exotic chickens. In later years, they returned to Nebraska, living near Avoca before moving to a small farm south of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Hazel loved her family, her friends, and the many animals that filled her life, including dogs, cats, goats, and horses. She was a gifted quilter and gardener, a wonderful cook, and someone who took real joy in sharing meals, desserts, and conversation with the people she loved.
Hazel is survived by her husband, Delbert; her sons, Everett and his wife, Cindy Lindner Yates, of San Antonio, Texas, and James of Cheyenne, Wyoming; her grandsons, Michael and his wife, Sharla Harris Yates, of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Matthew and Stefanie Almeyda of Martinsburg, West Virginia; and four great-grandchildren, Pierce, Tucker, Preston, and Tristen. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Hazel will be laid to rest at Fort McPherson National Cemetery in Maxwell, Nebraska, at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to First Lutheran Church of Avoca, 1434 N. 30th Road, Avoca, NE 68307.
Hazel will be remembered for her kindness, generosity, and remarkable gift for remembering the name of everyone she met. She will be deeply missed.
