Hazel Sig-Hester

Hazel Sig-Hester, 103 of Montezuma passed away Friday, October 10, 2025 at Brookhaven Community in Brooklyn. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 am Saturday, October 18, 2025 at the First Presbyterian Evangelical Church in Montezuma with Pastor George Salnave officiating. Visitation will be held from 9:30 am to 10:30 am Saturday morning at the church. An open visitation with the family not present will be held from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm Friday, October 17, 2025 at the Holland-Coble Funeral Home in Montezuma. Memorial contributions may be made to the Montezuma Fire Department or Brookhaven Community to be used for resident's activities. Holland-Coble Funeral Home of Montezuma is in charge of arrangements.

Hazel Lorene Sig-Hester, the daughter of James and Ceatta (Huff) Hicks, was born on March 3, 1922 in Grinnell, Iowa. She graduated from Montezuma High School with the class of 1940. Following high school, Hazel worked as a dental assistant before meeting Glen Sigafoose in 1942. Glen, whose nickname was Poncho, was a Linotype operator for the Montezuma Republican. He eventually became the shop foreman. Hazel learned the trade by watching Glen and became the fastest Linotype operator in the state. On January 23, 1943, Hazel and Glen were married.

Glen and Hazel opened an Indian Motorcycle dealership where Glen designed a set of custom aluminum wheel discs and a mold to spin them for Indian Motorcycles. But Glen and Hazel had a love for model airplanes, and in 1951 they started selling balsa to other model makers. Their little mom and pop shop business grew to become Sig Manufacturing Company selling remote controlled kits and supplies to model builders around the world. Hazel learned to fly in 1958 and flew aerobatic shows with Glen and their friend and fellow model builder, Maxey Hester. Glen was killed during a performance in Centerville, Iowa in 1980. Hazel stopped flying air shows but continued to fly and operate the RC business with Maxey. Hazel and Maxey were married in 1981. Together they continued to run Sig Manufacturing until 1999 when they sold the business and retired.

During their retirement, Hazel and Maxey continued to fly and flew the Sig "Air Force" of some seven aircrafts. These included three famous Spacewalkers that Maxey and Hazel built along with their Clipped Wing Cub. She also had a love of corvettes which would go at least 140 miles per hour when she found the right road to let it go. Hazel enjoyed flying and building model airplanes. She loved her cats, was an avid reader, and loved to teach others to fly. She was a member of the Antique Airplane Association (AAA), a lifetime member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) receiving the Presidential Achievement Award in 2022. She received the Wright Brother Master Pilot Award for Fifty Years of Dedicated Service in Aviation Safety given out by the FAA. She also received The Wesley L. McDonald Distinguished Statesman and Stateswomen of Aviation Award, an award that only two women, she and Amelia Earhart (in 1988), have ever received. Hazel was inducted into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame.

Her legacy will be honored by her stepdaughter, Nancy (Tony) Lammers of Brooklyn; 11 step grandchildren, Bryan Hester, Penny Hester, Clayton Hester, Jennifer (Junior) Norris, Elizabeth (Scott) Botts, Michael Lammers, Darlene (Wesley) Burnham, David (Angie) Gretz, Nicholas Hester, Lauren (Charlie) Elliott and Austin (Rachel) Hester; several step great grandchildren; friend, Doug Ver Meer; nieces and nephews, Bill Fred, Melody, Jerry, Jeff, Joel, Sharon, Treva, Valera and Claudia and many friends.

Hazel was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands, Glen in 1980 and Maxey in 2009; two brothers, Mearle Hicks and Harold Hicks; a sister, Treva Pitka; step children, Joyce Hester, Daniel Hester, Doris Gretz, David Hester and Harold Hester; step granddaughter, Esther Gretz; a step great granddaughter, Jenna Norris and nieces and a nephew, Marika, Jim and Ceatta.