Hazel Kuemmerle, 83 of Upton, WY passed away on September 22, 2014 at the Crook County Nursing Home.

A Celebration of Life for Hazel will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 27, 2014 at the United Methodist Church in Newcastle with Pastor Jeff Thoms officiating. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Newcastle with refreshments following at the church. For those wanting to remember Hazel through memorials, you can make a donation to the Alzheimer's Foundation.

Hazel was born on her parent's homestead near Clareton on May 11, 1931 to John LeRoy and Goldie (Morris) May. She attended a country school near Clareton in the grade years and a few years in Sheridan before moving back to Newcastle. She graduated from Newcastle High School in 1948. During high school, she worked at the Cold Storage and before marriage Johnston's Fuel Liners.

On March 15, 1950 she married Carl Kuemmerle and they were married for 64 years. After the marriage she joined Carl on the ranch south of Upton. Together they raised four daughters.

People that came by the ranch were always welcomed in and Hazel made sure she had plenty of food for everyone. She even provided blankets for people that would stop at the ranch in the winter and their heaters in their vehicles would not be working very well. She rode horse, drove tractor, fed bum calves, and did whatever was needed to help run the ranch.

Hazel loved her Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren and she always involved them in games and made it fun at the ranch. She loved playing card games, pounding out a tune on the piano, and she was often singing or whistling in the kitchen while she was cooking.
She was an active 4-H Leader at the local, county, and state level for many years. She was a member of the Community Cheerful Workers Homemaker Club and was a part of planning annual community picnics on the Divide. Until recently, Hazel planted and cared for a large garden and canned and froze the vegetables and fruits the family enjoyed throughout the year.

Hazel is survived by her husband Carl; four daughters, Betty (Tom) Latos of Dallas, TX, Carol (Steve) Nicholls of Newcastle, Sharon Kuemmerle of Gillette and Cindy (Troy) Dysart of rural Upton; sister, Sarah (the late Fred) Kostyk of Alberta, Canada; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and three siblings.

Arrangements are under the care of Fidler-Roberts & Isburg Funeral Chapel of Sundance.