Hey Dan

This morning my grandfather Robert Hazold passed away after suffering a stroke with complication a couple of weeks ago. He is survived by his 6 daughters, many grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.

My grandfather led an amazing life. He grew up in Chicago in the same neighborhood that Al Capone’s house stands. He was German by birth and uppity all his life. He called me GubenHobenShalbanDoben… after many years of ask stupid question to German speakers, I found out it means NOTHING in German.

He could build anything. If there was a tool grandpa had it. He spent his life building planes for Lockheed. He worked on the U2, SR-71 and F-117. Later in his life we found out grandpa was one of the guys they would fly out to the New Mexico desert. I grew-up on stories of how fast the SR-71 was. Told from someone who had seen it.

When you’re a kid everyone’s dad works for the top secret government program. It is hard to understand that my grandpa actually did!

Not that I always thought everything he did was cool. He played drums in jazz band and German bands and sometime wore lederhosen. Like most of my family he has musical talent. Somehow, it skipped my generation. I remember the day my brother and I found a Deep Purple album in his collection. He like their drummer.

He retired to Oregon and bought the farm I spent many a summer. Like everything grandpa did the farm was a place of gadgets. He grew worms in big white vats, had several green houses, animals, and even an electric chick pucker. The electric chick pucker was the most amusing/horrifying tool I have ever seen. Imaging minute car wash for dead chicken, only evil!

He lived the last couple of years with Mom. Took great pride in his family and told stories about his amazing life.

We knew this day was coming… but I still can not find words to express how amazing I think grandpa’s life was. He always told the stories better then I.