Edward Hazen Peck

Edward Hazen Peck 1929 ~ 2011 Edward Hazen Peck was born July 24, 1929. He always thought July 24th was a celebration for him!! Dad was born to Artie LeRoy and Ivy Hazen Peck in his Grandma Hazen s house in Salt Lake City. He was the youngest of 7 brothers and 5 sisters. His brother Donald Peck is the last surviving sibling and we know at Dad s passing his heart is broken. Dad had a wonderful childhood despite the trials of the times. He marveled at what great people his parents were and the family they raised. Dad was 21 years younger than his oldest brother Artie, so we always knew he had been spoiled by all of them. His family of siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles filled his life. They were his life-long friends. Ed signed up for the Army in 1948 with his special cousin Larry Peck and was transferred to the Army-Air Corps as a medic. He was sent to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio in 1949 where he met his companion of 61 years, Phyllis Romaine Davis, a petite ponytailed, redheaded Ohioan, the most beautiful girl on base. Dad promised Mom that they would travel back to Ohio every year to visit if she moved to Utah and married him. She did and Dad kept his promise. Dad was born into a family of master brick masons. He was a hod-tender from the time he could walk and learned the trade watching his Dad and brothers and uncles. Having a bad back made him think of other ways to make a living. With Phyllis and his sister, Leah, he opened the Hazen Nursing Home in 1962. His four kids and grandkids learned to work in a variety of jobs from painting, mowing, cooking, to cleaning the driveways at Hazen s. There was always work to be done. After almost 50 years, his ideals of being fair and honest with people, treating them with dignity, keeping it clean and simple, and being there every day, are still the driving force behind Hazen s still being in business and of course Mom controlling the finances! Dad and Mom had four children. Edward Hazen Peck Jr (Cindy Jensen & children: Edward III, Brent, Trisha); Douglas Davis Peck (children: Douglas Jr., Phillip, Christopher, Natalie, Jenna); Romaine (Randal Tuft & children: Grant, Amy, Greggory); Brian (children: Melanie, Anna, Buffy, and 5 stepchildren: Katie, Karen, Janice, David and Kenny.) Every person listed thought they were Dad s favorite and still do. Dad thought he was everyone s favorite! Dad s life was based around his family. With the large family he grew up in, every holiday was a celebration and many celebrations in-between! We thought life was family and celebrating something. The Peck s were blessed and still are with beautiful voices. We heard the Midnight Choir thousands of times. Their harmonizing was amazing-from I Stand All Amazed to Stav O Donnell s Wake . What a variety of songs and life he gave to us. Dad had two kidney diseases that slowly took his strength. He wanted to go out gracefully and he did. He hardly ever complained about how he felt, even when it was not good. He mainly worried about Mom. He said it takes a lot of courage to do this thing (dying.) Romaine kept telling him What a celebration you are going to have with your family when you pass through that veil to the other side of life. He always said back I sure hope it is true, I kind of think it is. I would so love to see my Mom and Dad and all my siblings again. What a celebration that would be! We know he is celebrating in the arms of his family. Till we meet again-we love you Dad! A special thank you to our dear friend Izzy for her loving care and help to the family. Melanie you loyally finished the task Hobbies:Brick Mason, SingingOccupation:Nursing Home Administrator/Owner