Hazel
Irene
Kriesel
Obituary
Hazel Irene Kriesel, 87, of Fort Wayne died January 2, 2021, in Fort Wayne, IN. Hazel was born to the late Charles and Hazel Ganoe on February 28, 1933 in New Kensington, PA. She was a teacher at Lafayette Jefferson H.S. and St. Joseph Catholic Fort Wayne, from 1980-2002 where she was involved in drama, debate and speech teams. She also starred in many theater productions from Junior H.S. to her days with the Brown County Playhouse. She received both bachelors and masters degrees from Indiana University in Education and Administration and was awarded the Allen County Teacher of the Year in 1992. She was a lifelong sports fan, always cheering the loudest for her beloved Purdue Boilermakers. Hazel is survived by her husband of 61 years William Gustave; two daughters, Rebecca (Michael) Flaherty and Jennifer (Mark) Disler; son, William (Susan) Kriesel; grandchildren Emily (Andrew) Perkins, Michael (Elizabeth) Flaherty, Nate Disler, Tyler Madeline, Noah and Ellen Kriesel; three great grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Barbara Troy and Barbara Bortner and many loving nieces and nephews. Hazel was preceded in death by her twin brother Charles W. Ganoe, Jr. and brother-in-law Matthew M. Troy. Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 am, Thursday, January 7, 2021 at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 10700 Aboite Center RD. Face Coverings are required. Memorial contributions may be made to Hazel Kriesel Scholarship fund at St. Joseph School.
Services
Condolences
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I absolutely loved Mrs. Kriesel. I moved away from Fort Wayne about 12 years ago, but have always done periodic google searches for my beloved teacher. I lived two doors away from St. Joe my entire eight years there. My parents lived there until recently. I did get time to go back to the school for events and for my nieces and nephews sports and activities. I did not waste the opportunity to tell Mrs. Kriesel what she meant to my life and my inner self. As a Latina girl in a school of mostly white kids I could lack confidence in myself and courage to be myself. Mrs. Kriesel unleashed the power of public speaking and love of literature in me. She called upon me for important school assemblies and masses to speak or perform readings. Speech class was child’s play in college compared to the work in her class. I do not know what she saw in me as a young girl, but her attention and confidence greatly impacted my future. I became a journalist and later my career put me in front of 10 to 10,000 people to speak on various topics or to introduce important individuals to crowds who gathered to see them. These things became possible because of the skills she taught me. The kids who were lucky enough to have gone through her classroom are all better because of her guidance and kindness. She was strict and would get mad and we would want… Read more »
I was very lucky to have Mrs. Kriesel as my English teacher from the sixth to the eighth grade. I credit her for teaching me the importance of using correct grammar and spelling and for that, I will be forever grateful.
We send our condolences to you, Bill, and all your family.
Sincerely, Bernard and Nancy Huesing,
Zionsville, IN
Sending much love and prayers to the Kriesel family. Our families have been together since I was born. Hazel was like a second mom. While my family moved south and we have lost touch I have nothing but fond memories of Hazel and her family. My heart breaks for your loss. Love, Shelly
Mrs Kreisler was a phenomenal teacher who was a major influence in my life. She helped me to realize how much I loved literature and the importance of both grammar and the richness of vocabulary. I am glad that I had the opportunity to tell her years ago that she was the catalyst to my study of literature. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Kriesel family. I hope you know how much your mother influenced and improved the lives of so many students.
Sincerely,
Amy Nolan Piazzon
SJS class of 1983
My condolences to the entire Kriesel family. Mrs. Kriesel was truly an amazing teacher and all-around wonderful person. I will always remember how she pushed us to do our best (and maybe terrified me a little!) during speech class all 3 years of junior high. I am now a teacher, myself, (high school health) and pretty confident speaker. I can only hope to instill the love, encouragement and support that Mrs. Kriesel gave us for so many years at St. Joseph’s Catholic School. So many great memories in her class and I believe it was my 8th grade class, 40 of us, that possibly nudged her into retirement. Rest in peace knowing you touched so many lives, Mrs. Kriesel.
Odd how we remember individuals we have been acquainted with through the years and their whereabouts. Hazel and I met through a mutual friend and shared memories of Lafayette, where she remembered my mother, from St. Francis high school as well as my two uncles at Lafayette Jeff. She loved her family as well as her profession in education and the grandkids were the highlight of her life. Education was an important factor in her life and I marveled how she shared her many talents not only with her grandchildren but other students as well. Sympathy to Bill and his family! RIP Hazel!
My deepest sympathy to the entire family of Hazel Kriesel. She was, indeed, a very special lady. I sat
close to this talented teacher and her 8th grade classroom and watched for almost 20 years how she
shared her excitement for graduation with each class.
She made this service so special for them. Rest In
peace, dear lady, till we meet again!
Mrs. Kriesel sure did make 8th grade special! She will never be forgotten. She was so loved by so many!!
Mrs. Kreisler was a second mom to me all through my high school years. She was an amazing support to me when my dad passed away in 1982, my sophomore year at Bishop Luers. Her hugs had a way of making everything better. My favorite escape was staying at the house out in Forest Ridge and pretending I was just another one of her kids. My deepest condolences to the entire family especially Jenny who was my treasured friend back in high school. Rest In Peace, Mrs. Kriesel
Jennifer Disler family and Kriesel family extended,
In loving memory of Momma Hazel. May the memory of her spunk, smile, wittiness, and caring heart forever warm your souls. A true legacy mentor.
The Hoag’s and Brewer’s
Mrs. Kriesel was my eight grade teacher at St. Joe in 1984. She was a great teacher and a good person. The neatest thing I remember about her was she had a twin brother and so do I. My prayers are with the Her family and friends.
Hazel brought so many gifts to our life. She was a beautiful person that brightened up everything she touched. We will never forget those memories.
May & Jeff Young
I grew up listening to stories about my parents’ and the Kriesel’s friendship and knew that I wanted to have the same type of cherished relationships some day; the kind of close friendship that is never separated by distance or time spent apart. The kind of friendship where hearts are full of joy with family and friends, yet there is always room to welcome others into the fold. I watched and learned from four of the best parent/teachers. Bill & Hazel welcomed myself, my husband, my son and all our friends for many a Boilermaker tailgate and those wonderful memories will never fade. Hazel may have been the most devoted IU-educated Boilermaker fan ever noted! Sending prayers of friendship and comfort to Bill and the entire family from Texas.
Hazel was an amazing person and even though I did not know her for many years I can express my admiration for her intellect and understanding. She definitely had a way of telling a story that I totally enjoyed and admired. I know that her family realized the true gem that she was and will always be and in their hearts she will never be far away. God’s Blessings be with the Kriesel Family.
So Sorry for your Loss. I will miss her smile, her jokes and her spunkiness!
Love you to the moon and back Momma!
Kimberly Tomei
Dear Billy and Kriesel Family,
Bruce and I extend our deepest sympathies. Hazel was a bright star on this earth and always made everyone feel extra special. She had a great laugh and eyes that danced. We have such great memories of fun times in Virginia when you would visit Bill and Shirley. May your wonderful family memories comfort you in the long winter days ahead. God Bless.
I echo the sentiments of Steve Palmer. What a pleasure it was to work with someone like Hazel!! She always had a joke to share with us at faculty meetings or just needing an uplift. It was amazing that she could remember so many jokes and tell them with an accent and a straight face. Hazel also did an outstanding job of preparing the 8th graders for Confirmation, and won the admiration of Bishop D’Arcy whom she counted as a friend. We will miss Hazel: she was an educator who definitely touched the future.
I adored Aunt Hazel. I remember her passion as she read the poem, “The Dash”, at Aunt Dody’s funeral. She was funny, loving and sharp. I’m so sorry we have lost another one.
I was on the faculty at St. Joe’s for several years. Lunches in the faculty room were always fun with Hazel. Her love for her students and St. Joe’s school were always evident. Hazel was a positive person to be around. I always appreciated her generosity and wicked sense of humor.
My sympathies to her family and friends, Hazel is the kind of person who made a deep impression on people which means a feeling of deep loss.
Peace and Prayers,
Sister Deborah Walter, CSA
Former 3 Grade Teacher
Former Pastoral Minister
Our thoughts and prayers are with you
Steven & Tiffany Ratliff
So many memories I could write a book, let me just say, my friendship and my families friendship, goes back to 1966 and I will forever have extremely fond memories!
Hazel was a wonderful & intellectual friend. Her radiating personality always made being in her presence a fun and interesting visit and she will be greatly missed. She was an admirable friend who always found of way to show respect for you while also being the life of the party. Over many years of being close friends Hazel could always evaluate a situation and establish whether she would consider you a friend. God’s Speed! Eston & Janet
You will be missed!
Love.
My condolences to Bill, Becky and Mike, Jenny and Mark, Bill and Susie , and the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I was privileged to know Hazel as a co-worker and friend through many years at St. Joseph School. She made sure that my four children were literate, and I did my best to make sure that her children and grandchildren appreciated the mysteries of Social Studies and Technology. Hazel and I even had a common teacher in our past despite growing up in two different cities. Sister Bonavita, a Franciscan, hammered the science of diagramming sentences into both of us, but Hazel made far better use of that hard-won knowledge as a teacher of English. My daughter reminded me of the time that I provoked Hazel into throwing an eraser at me when I came into her classroom and wrote a note on the board that included “alot” as a single word. Teaching requires a sense of humor, and in that area Hazel could give and take with the best. Both of us were blessed to work with administrators and fellow teachers who wanted our students to learn in an environment where adults and young people could respect each other even while laughing at our human goofiness.
Much more could be said, but I’ll close with this wish – “Rest in peace, old friend”.