Mrs. Hazel Riesland

On August 1, 1930 in the small town of Davenport, Nebraska, Hazel Lucille was born to Raymond and Kathryn (Lowrey) Kottraba. She was raised in Oshoto, Wyoming and graduated from Rozet High School in May of 1948. She married Neal Riesland on June 25, 1948.

They ran a Texaco station for 16 years before purchasing a ranch. Like the women of her time, Hazel had a strong will and determination to survive in a country that had hot dry summers followed by freezing winter winds.
Each year she raised chickens, milked cows, and tended a large garden in order to feed her family. In the spring one could find her nursing calves back to life with a nipple and bottle in a small building located near their house. Hazel was a talented woman who could fix anything from a hole in a pair of jeans to the plumbing in a shower.
She knew the value of a penny and taught her children to be hard working, considerate of others, and loving to all.

She had a great appreciation for music and encouraged her children and grandchildren to play musical instruments thus giving her family fond memories of musical family gatherings. Hazel was also an active member in the Masonic orders, as she was a member of the Daughters of the Nile and the Order of Eastern Star. April 2013 marked her 50th year of membership with the Order of Eastern Star.

Hazel passed away October 17, 2013 at the Weston County Hospital following complications associated with congestive heart failure. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers Charles Kottraba and Leland Kottraba, a sister Willa Irwin, and a granddaughters Katie (Riesland) Cummings.

She is survived by her husband Neal Riesland and children: Rick (Connie) Riesland, John (Robin) Riesland, and Linda (Jerry) Phillips. Grandchildren Kelly (Todd) Fuoss, Jamie (John) Foster, Ricky (Angela) Phillips, Lori Riesland, Holly Riesland, and Colton Cummings. Great grandchildren: Owen Cummings, Cayson Philliips, Casey Foster, Henry Fuoss, Riesland Cummings, Bentley Phillips, and Kaiden Foster. Other survivors include two sisters Leola Thar and Helen Whisler, a sister-in-law Alta Kottraba and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services for Hazel Riesland will be held on Tuesday, October 22nd at 2:00 PM at Christ the King Lutheran Church. Burial will follow at the Greenwood Cemetery. Everyone is invited to a reception at the Newcastle Senior Center. There will be a memorial set up at Weston County Health Services Foundation.

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