Florence Hazel Whittier

Hazel “Florence” Whittier, of Rimrock, Arizona, passed away on the morning of December 26, 2024, at the Sedona Winds Assisted Living facility in Sedona, Arizona and is now with her Creator for eternity.

Proceeded in death by her husband of 47 years, Fred H Whittier III, her parents Robert L and Frances T Burns, her sisters and brothers-in-law Elizabeth J (Betty) Cordoza (Joseph aka Bud) and Lorraine Johnson (William aka Bill) and nephew Richard Johnson.

Survived by her brother Robert E Burns (Selvina) and step-son Allen Whittier (Jeanene) and grandchildren Brittany Whittier Ochoa (David) and Steven Whittier along with a number of nieces and nephews.

Born in the San Juan Valley of San Benito County, California, Florence attended Olympia Elementary School in the San Juan Valley, until the family moved to the town San Juan Bautista when she was in the 5th grade and finished her elementary education at the San Juan Elementary school. Upon finishing her elementary education, Florence then attended Hollister High, class of ’53.

Florence worked in town as a fruit washer while in high school, eventually finding work with Bank of America after graduation. While working in Palo Alto, California, Florence met and married Eugene Gwin, and they moved to a military base in Germany for a few years. When that marriage came to an end, Florence moved back to California, where she met and married Fred Whittier in 1966. They were together for 47 years, until his death in 2013. Over the years together, they lived in Fremont, California, moved to Pennsylvania for approximately 5 years, then on to Sedona, Arizona in 1988 and eventually settled in Rimrock, Arizona in 2008 to enjoy the sunrises and wildlife.

Florence always loved all of her family, brother, sisters, along with her step-son, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, whom she stayed in contact with until the end. She was always interested in what the family was up to, and kept in contact via phone calls, and followed their many adventures on Facebook, always making many positive comments. She made close friends everywhere they lived and many of those people are still friends that will miss her smile, laughter and stories. We can all remember going to the house in Fremont for the holidays, enjoying the family stories and playing with Rebel (their dog). 

Following the move to Pennsylvania, they moved back west to Sedona, Arizona, where they opened a successful small store that contained goods from local artists and antique firearms. Upon selling the store and officially retiring, they moved to Rimrock, Arizona, where they enjoyed the sunrise, wildlife and adventures with friends and family.

Among the activities Florence enjoyed, bowling was at the top of the list. Florence spent many years bowling on teams with friends, traveling to tournaments, and sharing pictures and stories of all the bowling adventures. If there are lanes in Heaven, she’ll be on them.

Private family services will be held at a later date. An online guestbook is available at www.westcottfuneralhome.com.