Hazel Evon Vardaro (89) passed away peacefully at home on 25 February 2014. She was the seventh daughter of eight children born to William and Clara Montpetit of Beaulieu, North Dakota on 26 January 1925 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Alfonso "Al" Vardaro on 29 October 2006, and siblings Bernice Taylor, Ethel Magnus, Beatrice Linders, and Lillian Hatch.

She is survived by her four children, John E. and his wife Rosalind of Virginia Beach, Jeanne and her husband Dan Harris of Manassas, Bill and his wife Pam of Midlothian, and Bruce and his wife Debbie of Chesapeake; five grandchildren, Kellie and her husband Kevin Goins, David Vardaro, John Anthony "Tony" Vardaro, William Alfonso "Al" Vardaro, and Steven Nicholas "Nick" Vardaro; and four great-grandchildren, Hunter, Andrew, and Connor Goins, and John Gavin Vardaro; and her siblings, Myrtle Gislason of Wasilla, Alaska, Alice Murr and Bill Montpetit of Wenatchee, Washington, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

When Hazel was 11, she moved with her family from Beaulieu to Hyak, Washington but permanently settled in White Center, a suburb of Seattle, Washington, in 1940. On 14 April 1943, she married Al Vardaro, formerly of Philadelphia, Pa., in Seattle. After surviving the attack and eventual sinking of the USS Yorktown (CV-5) in June 1942, Al was reassigned to the USS California later that month (one of the few naval ships considered salvageable after the attack on Pearl Harbor) and he accompanied the ship to Puget Sound Navy Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. While stationed there, he met and later married Hazel after a two-month courtship.

Hazel enjoyed being a Navy wife and mother and when Al retired in 1959, they permanently settled in Chesapeake, Virginia. She never lost her love of traveling including several US coast-to-coast driving trips and excursions to Hawaii, Alaska, and Australia. She was known for her homemade pizzas (taught by her Italian-born mother-in-law) and her work as a seamstress sewing from home and later hired by local businesses to do alternations from wedding gowns to men's suits. Hazel was a dedicated Christian who lived out her beliefs and was faithful to the end.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. with a viewing from 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, 4 March 2014 at Parr Funeral Home, 3515 Robs Drive, Suffolk, Virginia 23434. A burial will follow at the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, and per her husband's request, his urn to be buried with Hazel. The family wishes to acknowledge their gratitude to Eileen Steinert and the Bon Secors nursing staff and support team, as well as family friends LaVonne Roberts and Francine Tillery, for their excellent care and attention given to their mother. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to your favorite charity or to the Bon Secors Hospice of Bon Secors of Hampton Roads. Condolences may be registered online at www.parrfuneralhome.com.