Clair William “Bill” Hazlip was born October 16, 1930 in Hominy, Okla., to Albert and Anna Hazlip.
He was the second youngest of their seven children and was the last surviving of his six siblings. Bill served in the U. S. Navy aboard the USS Abbot destroyer during the Korean War and returned from the Navy to marry his childhood sweetheart, Oleta Hulsey. They married in Oilton, Okla., and soon after moved to Stillwater, Okla. where Bill attended Oklahoma State University, graduating at the top of his class with a major in geology. He began his professional career as a production engineer with Pure Oil Company and worked on projects in Utah, Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas. Bill left Pure Oil and moved to Pratt, Kan., to work for Beardmore Oil as a production manager. He later worked as a production superintendent for Zenith Drilling Corporation and spent the remainder of his career with Zenith while living in Pratt, Kansas. Bill and wife Oleta, raised three children — Mike, Terre, and Kim — primarily in the towns of Pauls Valley, Okla., and Pratt, Kan., where they attended junior high and high school. Bill and Oleta spent their retirement in Oilton and Guthrie, Okla., later moving to Spring Hill, Tenn., to be close to their daughters and their families.
Bill leaves his wife of 62 years, Oleta Hazlip, son Mike Hazlip and spouse Linda, daughter Terre Owens and spouse Larry and daughter Kim Stout and spouse Mike. Bill also was the proud grandpa to 11 grandchildren, Arie, Kyle, Clay, Tim, Brooke, Jarett, Russell, Tyler, JC, Tracie and Anna and 13 great grandchildren. Bill was an avid golfer and Oklahoma University football fan and just a few years ago accepted Jesus Christ as his savior and attended Grace Chapel near his home in Thompson Station, Tenn., while he was able. A memorial service will be held at the Williamson Memorial Funeral Home, 3009 Columbia Ave., in Franklin, Tenn., at 5 p.m. on Dec. 19, 2016. Another memorial service will be held at the First Christian Church in Cleveland, Okla., on Jan. 8, 2017.
