Hazel Irene Banes

Funeral services for Hazel Irene Banes, 76, Junction City will be held 10 a.m. Friday, March 10, 2006 at First Baptist Church with Rev. James Callaway officiating. Burial will follow at Fort Riley Cemetery. Mrs. Banes passed away March 6, 2006 at Geary Community Hospital. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, March 9, 2006 at Penwell-Gabel Johnson Chapel, 203 N, Washington, Junction City, KS. Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church, 624 N. Jefferson, Junction City, KS 66441.

Hazel was born February 3, 1930 in Jackson's Gap, Alabama and grew up in Phenix City, Alabama. Hazel was a long-time member of the First Baptist Church, where she was a member of the choir and spent many years teaching Sunday school and Bible studies. She especially enjoyed teaching young people in the Awanas, and during her last illness many of the nurses and attendants in the hospital remembered "Miss Hazel," who had taught them when they were children.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 33 years, Bernard Banes, who died in 1997. Hazel was an "Army wife" for many years, and lived in Alaska and Germany. She often times found herself having to raise her five children alone when her husband was overseas serving tours of duty in active combat.
More recently Hazel worked for years at Berner Jewelers in Junction City, a job she loved. Always vivacious and outgoing, she enjoyed meeting and helping customers and did whatever it took to make sure they were happy.

She is survived by three sons, Reid (Tricia) Melton of South Carolina, Bryant (Robyn) Banes of Texas and Patrick (Darcy) Banes of Arizona; two daughters, Hope Myers (Joel) of Kansas and Pamela Melton of South Carolina; two brothers, Bobby (Kathy) Harris of Alabama and Wayne Harris of Texas; two sisters, Catherine Battles of Alabama and Cleo Reddish of Georgia; seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She is also predeceased by her brother James Harris and her sister Juanita Whitman.

Hazel worked hard all of her life, but she enjoyed life and lived to enjoy the fruits of her labors and see her children grow to become successful and content adults. She was active and vibrant until almost the very end. Although her last illness was painful, it was brief, and she was peaceful at her passing. She loved the Lord and believed in salvation. Her eldest son, Reid, was at her side, and her last words to him were "I'm ready to go beyond the suffering-I want to go and be with my mother."

Florence Whitebread, Organist and Gail Dye, Vocalist

Pallbearers will be Gary Barrick, John Booth, Jerry Dye, Nils Klem, Archie Moore and Graham Stevens