A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 1 at 10:00 AM at the Ryssby Church (Google Map), with a lunch reception to follow. Dress will be business casual; no need to dress for a “funeral.” If you plan to attend, please send a note to Jennifer at hazenjenco@gmail.com.
Kenneth K. Hazen, 77, of Longmont, CO, died peacefully on Saturday, November 24, 2018, at TRU hospice after an accidental fall. Born on March 23, 1941 in Newark, NJ to the late Lewis Arthur Hazen and Katherine Krementz Hazen, he spent his childhood in Bay Village, OH, graduated from Pittsford (NY) High School in 1959 and Hamilton College (NY) in 1963. Ken purchased a second home in Fraser, CO to be closer to his family in 2011 and moved to Colorado full time in 2015. Ken spent many years of his adult life in Farmington, CT, where he worked in commercial real estate investment for Aetna and subsequently in an independent practice. Ken found much joy and peace in nature and outdoor activities including hiking, bicycling, cross-country skiing, and camping; he was proud to have recently learned to snorkel, stand-up paddleboard, and rock climb with his family. He was a member of numerous outdoor organizations including SkiMeisters, the Boulder Tuesday Thursday Hikers, the Fraser Tuesday Hiking Group, and Searchers, and he was a member of the Boulder Newcomers Club.
His family meant everything to Ken. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer M.H. Peers and Eric J. Peers of Boulder, CO; his cherished granddaughter Allison M. Peers; his sister and brother-in-law Nancy H. Fair and Terrence W. Fair of Phoenixville, PA; his brother and sister-in-law John L. Hazen and Dorothy J. Hazen of Estero, FL; and his nephews and nieces Katherine E. Farrington (husband James and children Robert, Matthew, and Lindsay) of Collegeville, PA, Matthew L. Hazen (wife Claudia and children Jack and Sofia) of Marietta, GA, Brian C. Hazen (wife Kristen and children Hannah and Christopher) of Dunwoody, GA, and Jessica H. Feaster (husband Jay and children Chase and Quinn) of Golden, CO.
Ken supported many environmental and humanitarian charities that he cared about; a raptor flight cage at the Vermont Institute of Nature and Science in Quechee, VT bears his name. He was particularly concerned about the welfare of refugees around the world – as such, donations in Ken’s honor can be made to the International Rescue Committee (https://www.rescue.org/ ) an organization that helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.
A celebration of Ken’s life will be planned for spring of 2019 in the Boulder, CO area. Please contact Jennifer Peers (hazenjenco@gmail.com) and/or check this website to receive details.
I am so sorry for your loss. Hugs.
Sending our love and condolences to your family. We are glad to have known Ken, even briefly.
Ken was one of a kind. We connected shortly after we met. He loved nature and all it had to offer, and he enjoyed hiking with us and walking our dogs. Ken loved reading the Wall Street Journal, and when he was visiting us in the remote Colorado mountains, he was hell bent on finding one. We chuckled as we checked stores an hour away to find the paper.
He loved his family more than anything, and that was shown always.
We will miss you, Ken
I am very sad to hear Ken’s passing. He was a great biking and Xcountry skiing friend while living in Farmington and by phone calls at least monthly after he moved to CO. Enjoyed his company and interesting conversations. I’ll miss his calls.
I know how important your father was in your life and the life of your family, and I am so sorry for your loss. I send my love and prayers.
My sincere sympathy to Ken’s family.He had a great smile and was always so kind and friendly while bicycling. His passing comes as a huge shock as I remember as so energetic and enthusiastic.He looked much younger than his stated age.
May he rest in peace.
My quirky, adventuresome, kind-hearted uncle was unlike anyone I’ve ever met. I’ll never forget his laugh, obsession with the outdoors and immense love for family. Love & miss you, Uncle Ken.
I’ll miss razzing each other as only two good friends can do. And, of course, hiking, x-c skiing and bicycling with someone who truly appreciated all that nature has to offer. Ken, we’ll miss you.
Ken was my best friend for many years. His quirky humor was always on display. His favorite word when talking with me and my husband was ” basically” we would count the times he said it in our conversations. I will miss our phone calls and I miss him so much. Gone much to soon. We love you Ken
Lois Anderson
Yes, I remember Ken from biking. He was a great man. He loved his family and often talked about them. He was a great biker and we spoke often. He will be missed by all of his friends here in Connecticut.
Ken always added joy and good conversation to our Thanksgiving/Christmas dinners. We will miss that. He was a truly good person and a dear, dear friend to my mother. He will be missed by so many whose lives he touched in numerous ways. I feel blessed to have known him. Jen was lucky to have him as a father and as a grandfather to Ally. My thoughts are with you, Jen, and your family.
Dear Jennifer,
So sorry to learn of the passing of your dear father. We were colleagues for many years in Aetna’s Real Estate Investment Department. I can still hear him say, “Basically, cash flow is the name of the game!” Ken possessed a unique sense humor. His allegiance to the Cleveland Browns was both legendary and lonely. His love of the Connecticut countryside was only surpassed by the love of you, Jennifer. May God bless Ken and his loving family.
I was so saddened to learn of Ken’s passing. Ken and I worked closely together on many commercial real estate transactions at the Aetna and we shared many memories from our work together over the years. It was unfortunate that I did not get to see Ken following his permanent move to Colorado, but we did talk by phone every now and then. It was a strange coincidence that I just returned this morning from Newport Beach, California, and was thinking of Ken while there, as we had taken many business trips to Orange County together to meet with one of Ken’s most notable real estate clients. It was an honor to have known Ken since 1969 and to have called him a good friend. We will all miss him dearly, but will find solace in the recollections of our lovely times with him. May he rest in peace.
Jennifer
I also worked with Ken at Aetna. He was a very sharp and smart person. Bob Phillips tribute says it all
I am saddened at his passing and hope the memories of his beautiful life gives you comfort
Pat Kinlan
My heartfelt condolences to all of Ken’s family and friends. I got to know Ken through the Grand Outdoors hiking club here in Grand County, CO. I went on a number of hikes with Ken, and remember he was a very good hiker and just a very nice guy. I went on an especially hard hike with Ken on August 20th, 2013 to Mt. Neva . It was a long , challenging day of hiking to a peak, partly scrambling over rocks before we reached the top. Ken made it to the top in good shape. We were all tired at the end of that day, but it was very satisfying. I saw Ken just this past summer at the library here in Fraser. He looked well, and we talked for awhile about what we were up to, and our health.He liked to read, and would tell me about books he enjoyed. He especially like Tana French’s books he told me. I can’t believe he is gone. We will miss him here in Colorado and on hikes next summer, I am so sorry to hear this news.
Hi Bill – Dad often talked about that hike up Mt. Neva as one of the hardest he had ever done. He was proud to have completed it. Makes me think I should give it a go this summer! 🙂 – Jen
Ken was a great hiking buddy! I am sad that he now will be gone. My sincere condolences.
I’m so sorry to hear the news regarding Ken’s recent passing. Like several of the folks above, I too worked with Ken at Aetna back in the early 80’s and truly liked spending time with him and appreciated/relished his “unique” sense of humor. Back then, he was also a rabid fan of any Cleveland professional sports team. I’ll never forget the time that I walked into his office so many years ago to find him holding an old transistor radio to his ear trying to listen to a static filled barely audible Cleveland Indians baseball game!! He was “one of the kind”!
Although I did not keep in touch with Ken after our time at Aetna, I’ll always remember him as a “good guy”
My sincere condolences to all of Ken’s family
Such sad news! My deepest condolences to Ken’s beloved family and friends.
I also got to know Ken en through the Tuesday hiking group where he had led some hikes.
So sorry for your loss.
Rita Pech
Very sorry and saddened to hear about Ken’s passing. We worked closely together at Aetna for several years and got to know each other well. He was very sincere, conscientious, and kind-hearted. Although it has been many years, I remember him like it was yesterday and feel fortunate to have known him.
Best wishes to his family at this difficult time.
I am very sorry and shocked to hear about Ken. Ken and I have worked together on the HOA Board of the Spruce Ridge Townhomes in Fraser, Colorado for quite a few years. He worked hard to make the best decisions for the unit owners, but more importantly Ken always had a smile on his face and had a real gentle and kind disposition. I connected with Ken in the first 5 minutes of meeting him. I am very sad and will miss him.
I was very saddened by the news of Ken’s untimely death. He was a member of the Grand Outdoors hiking group in Fraser, Colorado, and we enjoyed many hikes together. He was the life of the particular hiking party, always joking, but in a congenial way, so it was a lot of fun to have him along. I remember well the difficult hike up the Vasquez Peak near Fraser, which I believe we even did two times together. My condolences to the family. He will be missed. I am sure he will be looking down on all his favorite mountains in peace.
My deepest condolences to Ken’s beloved family and friends. I met Ken through the Tuesday hiking group in Fraser, Colorado. We will miss him on our hikes next summer.
I am very sad to hear of Ken’s passing. My condolences to his family. Ken was my neighbor in Fraser for a couple of years. He was a good man and we enjoyed many conversations together over the years. He was an extremely intelligent man that graciously used his knowledge to help me better myself. He will be missed by many.
I remember best cross country skiing with Ken in wild settings. His enthusiasm lent so much more to the adventure. I am so sorry for his family. You meant so much to him. He will be missed and loved.
My deepest condolences to Ken’s family and friends. I was so shocked to hear of his passing. I too met Ken as part of the Grand Outdoors hiking group in Fraser, CO. As many have mentioned, it was clear he truly loved hiking and being outdoors and I am betting he has now found some of the greatest hiking there is to be had!
Jennifer, Eric and Allison,
Hearing of the loss of Ken has greatly saddened us. We are his Spruce Ridge Family. We shared many dinners and hikes with Ken for many years.
We remember how excited he was to move to Colorado to be close to and apart of your lives. He expressed his love for you three all the time to us as he share in his activities with you. You three were the most important people in Ken’s life.
We really enjoyed Ken’s great knowledge. He was always egger to share in his many life experiences and we appreciated and gained much from his experiences. Investments was his great interest and “hobby “., as you well know. Many discussions on this topic were had around our dinner table with Ken. Share the info was always his motto.
Ken was a role model in every way. His outdoor activities gave us hope as we age to be able to stay outdoors and stay in great shape.
Our deepest sympathy for you in this great loss.
Tim and Wendy O’Connor
So sorry for you loss. I got to know Ken through Ski Meisters. He was a happy guy and fun to chat with. May he rest in peace.
We are so sorry for your loss. Ken enjoyed his involvement with Ski Meisters very much and loved the outdoors. He will be missed.
Having hiked and cross country skied with Ken many times with the Skimeisters, I will miss him! Always eager to converse and get to know others, he had a quick wit and was very knowledgeable about the world (credit the WSJ?). He seemed to be a good outdoorsman, with a lot of experience and wisdom. And he was a character!
I am saddened by his loss, and my condolences to the family…
The first time I met Ken was on a SkiMeister hike. We spent many steps talking about books. He inspired me to read more. He was a genuine friendly guy. I will miss him too.
It is so hard to believe friendly, vibrant, smiling Ken is gone. I am shocked and so sad to see this news. I knew Ken through SkiMeisters cross country skiing, and we had a Connecticut connection–I grew up in Wethersfield. He was so energetic and strong, way too young for such a bad fall.I am so sorry. He was on the waitlist for our Latigo xc ski trip–now he will be with us in spirit. May all your great memories give you smiles. He talked about you often.
Ken was one of the friendliest fellows I met on the XC ski trail with the SkiMeisters. He was so full of life and will be very missed. So sorry for your loss.
Cross country skied many times with Ken. Usually we lagged behind so we could enjoy pleasant conversations. He always had a smile on his face and fine humor – even when bright red in his face from overheating at zero degrees! Very sad at his passing. The World is a happier place that he lived. He will greatly missed.
So sad to hear that Ken has passed. I met Ken through the Grand County Tuesday hiking group as well as cross country skiing with the Skimeisters. Such a friendly and enthusiastic person. We, his family and the world are better because of him.
Nancy and I are saddened to learn of Ken’s passing. We will remember our hikes, outings, and other Boulder Newcomers events, and how lovingly Ken spoke of his family.
My heartfelt condolences. I enjoyed hiking with Ken many times with the Grand County group. I always enjoyed Ken’s family stories.. particularly involving Allie, the light of his life. Ken was so helpful and giving..always there in Fraser to give me a ride to the trailhead. I will miss him and his iconic bright orange hiking shirt.
I loved talking with Ken and we called each other about once a month or so. I would tease him about his unending house renovation and listen to his stories about his daughter and especially his beloved granddaughter. We went on a couple of bike rides in Boulder, but mostly I saw him biking and XC skiing with Ski Meisters. He was always cheerful and kind. He will be missed.
Your Dad and i were good friends of Donald Block and attended the funeral,together and also the funeral of Joe Bernardi, Donald’s accountant. Your Father’s knowledge and intuition on real estate was formidable .
Sorry to,hear of his passing.
dan Fine
Thanks Dan, I had not realized that Joe had also passed away. He loved Donald like a big brother I think and was so sad when he died. Best, Jen
We are so sad to hear this tragic news about Ken. We met Ken through the Boulder Newcomers Club and looked forward to spending more time with him this winter cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Jen, do you recall when you and your Dad visited us one evening? We live about a 3-minute walk from you in Dakota Ridge. We enjoyed both your Dad’s and your company very much. We will miss not getting to know him better. He was a very special person. Bill and Rosie Westermeyer
To All The Peers,
Like many who have written before, I considered Ken one of my dearest and most loyal friends. He was quick with a compliment or to share in one’s happiness or success. Ken would never forget to ask about my children. We had many interesting conversations over dinner, attending a ballgame, hiking, or over the phone. We shared a passion about history, politics and baseball (he hated my beloved Yankees; he loved the Indians). Ken was a devoted and loving Father and Grandfather. I will miss him tremendously. My prayers are with all of you. Peter Murphy