Obituary of Hazel Forbus

Hazel V. Forbus, GRI, ALC. Born August 10, 1928, died May 21, 2014. Born on Mountain Top, Arkansas, to Frank and Lois Nichols (both deceased). Predeceased by infant daughter, Sherry; brother, Gervis Nichols of California; sister, Marie Hanning of California; and sister, Frankie Woods of Oklahoma. She is survived by son, Jim Forbus (Susan); and granddaughters, Brianna Forbus (Joe Solley) and Emily Forbus (Chris Volpp); and great-grandson, Ryder Dean Volpp, all of Tucson, AZ. She is also survived by son, Ken Forbus (Dedre Genter) of Evanston, IL. Hazel is survived by many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews in California, Texas and Oklahoma. A 1946 graduate of Ozark High School, she was very active in school activities. Before coming to Tucson in 1967, she lived in Oklahoma, South Carolina, Hawaii (twice) and Southern California. An Arizona real estate broker since 1968, Hazel was devoted to her clients, most of whom became her friends. She began her career with Richard Huff Realty, and then Western American Realty, where she was the office manager, Roy Long Realty, Realty Executives; and finally Casas Adobes Realty. Hazel earned the Graduate of REALTOR Institute designation. She was very active in the REALTORS Land Institute (RLI), earning the Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) designation, which required many hours of classroom work, along with years of active experience brokering land, farms and ranches. Hazel enjoyed the travel that was part of her real estate career to the conventions and meetings, where colleagues she met became her friends. One of her favorite experiences was river rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Ill health severely limited Hazel's activities the last few years, making it difficult for her. A highlight of her life was the January 2014 birth of her great-grandson, Ryder, whom she immediately nicknamed "Tiger." A Memorial Service celebrating her life will be held at the ADAIRS FUNERAL HOME, Avalon Chapel, 8090 N. Northern Ave., at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, May 31, 2014. Reception to follow.