Lakeland – Hazel Dees Ebersole, 88, passed away on March 6, 2017. Hazel was born on September 27, 1928 in Arcadia, Florida to William and Gladys Dees. She graduated from Desoto High School in Arcadia in 1946 and began working as a secretary at the Desoto Insurance Company where one day she was introduced by a coworker to her future husband, Daniel “Danny” Ebersole. They were married on September 10, 1950. Always gifted with a strong work ethic and an entrepreneurial spirit, she bought the Desoto Shopping Guide – the direct competitor to the local newspaper, The Arcadian, which was owned by Danny’s family. While the perfect example of a prim and proper southern lady, she was always a businesswoman at heart. Danny was transferred to Orlando in 1969 and she sold the Desoto Shopping Guide. While living in Orlando, she became a master duplicate bridge player and earned her real estate license just in time for Danny to be transferred to St. Petersburg, Florida with Mead Paper Company in 1972. There she worked as an associate for Century 21 for many years. Once again, however, her enterprising spirit took over and she purchased her own Century 21 office which she headed for many years. In 1996, Hazel and Danny retired and moved to Lakeland to be closer to their only child and grandchildren. During her retirement in Lakeland, she was a member of the Meet and Greet Club as well as too numerous to count bridge clubs, sometimes playing bridge over 20 times per month. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Lakeland. She enjoyed stamping and used her outstanding skills in the kitchen to throw numerous dinner parties. It seemed she was always baking a cake for someone’s birthday. Never one to shun a challenge, she was an avid water skier in her youth, learned to rollerblade in her 60s, and took up snow skiing at age 72. Unlike the rest of the family, however, the one activity she could never be convinced to take up was scuba diving. She is survived by her only child, Dr. Douglas Ebersole of Lakeland; her daughter-in-law, Dr. Carol Ebersole of Lakeland; and two grandchildren, Kimberly Infield of Iowa City, Iowa and Eric Ebersole of Tampa, Florida. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, Florida on March 11 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Starts at 2:00 pm (Eastern time)
First Presbyterian Church
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