Hazen B. Tedder, age 79, died Feb. 5 at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle.

He was born Oct. 26, 1923, in Pontiac, Mich., the sixth of 11 children of Mina (Rowston) and Harvey Tedder. His father, a sheriff’s deputy in Pontiac, was killed in the line of duty shortly before his last child was born.

After finishing school in Pontiac, Hazen served in the European Theatre with the U.S. Army during World War II. He returned to Pontiac to work for General Motors and then Detroit Edison.

He spent 34 years there, moving from lineman to dispatcher. He retired at age 61 and stayed in Pontiac until 1998 when he and his wife moved to Bainbridge Island with their daughter and son-in-law.

He enjoyed flying his two-seater Aeronca airplane. When he wasn’t in the sky, he enjoyed playing golf, woodworking and camping.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Mary; one daughter, Patti Denman, Bainbridge Island; one brother, Vaughn Tedder; three sisters, Edna O’Brien, Sharon Shepley, Susan Sawdon, all of Waterford, Mich. and one grandson, Timothy Foley, Seattle.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Arrangements are by Kass Funeral Home.