Obituary of Myrtice Hazel Packham Van Epps

Hazel Van Epps, 88, passed peacefully and joined her husband and heavenly family and friends on May 22, 2015. Born in Theresa, Florida in 1926, she was the youngest of eight children of Weldon and Gertrude Packham. Hazel met the love of her life while working at the Western Union Office in Jacksonville, Florida in 1945. Leonard and Hazel raised their three daughters in Florida and South Dakota, moving to Merritt Island in Brevard County in 1971 where she taught Special Education until her retirement in 1987. A devoted mother who centered her life around family and church, she also inspired the lives of many of her special needs students both in South Dakota and Florida. Hazel valued education and began working on her college degree at Yankton College graduating in 1971 with BA in Education and completed her MA in Special Education and Psychology at the University of South Dakota. She leaves behind her three daughters: Rebecca Sario Reynolds (Harry Robnett) of Portland, Oregon; Pamella Mankowski (Mark) of W. Melbourne, Florida; and Susan Van Epps (Dr. Neil Benson) of Palatka, Florida. She is also survived by eleven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren who reside throughout the United States in Oregon, Florida, Virginia, Nebraska, and Ohio. Hazel’s friends and family remember her as an intelligent, creative, funny, warm hearted, generous and stubborn woman who loved God and family and couldn’t see a child without engaging them in conversation. She loved to travel and visited most U.S. states and several foreign countries. Her later years found her a fan of BINGO and Wii bowling which she enjoyed with friends of Hibiscus Court, The Fountains – Melbourne and Sterling House of West Melbourne. Grandchildren remember her as a staunch player of Rummicub, Uno and SkipBo (which she ALWAYS won!) and as the creator of The Easter Pinata. Viewing will be on Saturday June 27th, 2015 at 10:30-11:00 am at Hope Baptist Church, 3900 SE State Road 100 Keystone Heights, Florida. Services will follow immediately after at 11:00 amMemorial donations may be made to Promise Inc., PO Box 120028, West Melbourne, FL 32912-0028 or visit them at PromiseinBrevard.com.