James Edward Hazer Sr.

James "Jim" Edward Hazer, Sr. was born on Thursday October 8, 1942 in St. Louis, MO to James Hazer and Marion Hilaria Hazer, nee Stewart. He passed away the morning of Friday, February 13, 2026, comfortable and surrounded by family, after a battle with lymphoma at the age of 83 years, 4 months and 5 days.

He is reunited with his parents, James Hazer and Marion Hazer (nee Stewart), and with brother Donald Hazer.

He will be missed most by his wife, Jeanette Hazer (nee Nenninger), of Steelville, Missouri; by daughters Christine Fine (Robert) of O'Fallon, Missouri and Donna Gummersheimer (Daniel) of St. Charles, Missouri; sons, James Hazer Jr. of Steelville and William Hazer (Jennifer) of Fenton, Missouri; brother, Charles Hazer (Vicki) of St. Paul, Missouri; as well as by five grandchildren and good friends Lynn Blankmann and David Jaycox.

James, always known as Jim, was born in St. Louis on Oct. 8, 1942, to James and Marion Hazer, the oldest of three boys. They lived in South City until he was 12, then they relocated to Berkeley, Missouri. As a young man, Jim worked a variety of jobs, including construction and a stint as a silk screen printer at McDonnell Aircraft. He attended O'Fallon Tech school in St. Louis City and began a lifetime of working with his hands, first as a mechanic at the GMC Truck Center and ultimately at Johnny Londoff Chevrolet, from which he retired in 2004. He was a proud member of IAM Local 777.

In 1963, he enlisted in the Missouri National Guard.

He married the love of his life, Jeanette "Jane" Eileen Nenninger, in 1969. They went on to raise four children, but found time for leisure. Jim found that life went down well with a beer, and enjoyed sharing one with friends and family whenever possible. He built a one-room hunting retreat ground-up in 1994, and it was his and Jane's escape from city life until they relocated to Steelville in 2006.

Jim was a consummate outdoorsman and accomplished hunter of deer, elk, and coyote. He competed in marksmanship and was a longtime member of both the National Rifle Association and the St. Louis Archery Club. He taught multiple generations of children to fish, even when those children were squeamish about handling nightcrawlers.

In 1995, Jim became a "Pop" to the first of his five grandchildren. He loved Sarah, Grant, Madeline, Jacob, and Alexander, and tirelessly chauffeured them on trips "to the country" and in and out of muddy ditches on the side-by-side.

Visitation was at 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Friday, February 20, 2026 at Hutson Funeral Home in Steelville, MO. Celebration of Life immediately followed at 1:00 PM. Following Jim's wishes the family chose cremation as his final disposition. Memorials were suggested to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 3810).
Arrangements under the direction of Hutson Funeral Home, Steelville, MO.