Thomas Hazen died on March 13, 2019 at the age of 67. He is survived by his sister and her husband, Nancy and Paul Krawczynski, his daughter Melinda Hazen, her spouse Erik Bielanski, and their two daughters Viviana and Mirabel, his daughter Layla and her husband Chris, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Tom was born in Northampton on February 13, 1952 to Edward and Barbara Hazen. He was the youngest of three, with two older sisters, Linda and Nancy. He graduated from Northampton High School in 1970, appreciated by his classmates for his athleticism and humor.

At the age of seven, Tom was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. It was a diagnosis that would shape his life in profound and lasting ways. Tom and his family received diabetes education from the Joslin Diabetes Center, and became connected with Camp Joslin, in Oxford, MA – a summer camp exclusively for children with diabetes. Tom attended Camp Joslin and kept returning, year after year, first as a camper, and later as a counselor. He returned there in his memories, too, as an older man.

Tom grew up in the farming communities of the Pioneer Valley, instilling in him a deep love of the land and animals. He worked as a dairy farmer on his family’s farm, and on many farms in Western Massachusetts. Some of his fondest memories were of his Kentfield’s milk route.

Tom loved music and gardening. He was part old Yankee and part hopeful radical. One of his favorite quotes is attributed to Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Donations can be made in memory of Thomas Hazen, to Camp Joslin, care of the Barton Center for Diabetes Education, Inc. at PO Box 356, North Oxford, MA 01537-0356.