Hazel Elizabeth Reith

Hazel Elizabeth (Waris) Reith, born July 23, 1923, died Oct. 22, in Yakima, Wash. She was born in Astoria, Ore., to Finnish immigrants, William and Amelia (Perle) Waris. She started school in Astoria, only speaking Finnish, and graduated from Astoria High School. After the war, she married her high school sweetheart, Carl Reith.
The couple lived in Astoria, where they had their daughter, Sharon. In 1951 the family moved to Bellevue, Wash., where they raised their daughter. The family was a charter member of the First Presbyterian Church in Bellevue. Hazel was a member of the Overlake Hospital Guild and was active in Bellevue High School Booster Club. She was a Bluebird and Campfire leader and co-leader of a junior orthopedic guild. Hazel and Carl divorced after 30 years of marriage.
Hazel was very proud of her 42 years of sobriety. She worked at the Alano Club of the Eastside and was instrumental in helping many with addictions.
In 2005 she moved to Yakima to be closer to her daughter. She loved spending time with her granddaughters and great-grandchildren. She always loved the children in her life, including her nieces and nephews, and was Auntie Hazel to many others.
Hazel was preceded in death by her parents, William and Amelia (Perle) Waris; a sister, Helka Aho; a stepbrother, George Kesti; and stepmother, Ida Kesti. She is survived by a daughter, Sharon (Steve) Young; granddaughters, Ashley (Karl) Lieberknecht and Katie Burtsche; and great-grandchildren, Max and Ruby Lieberknecht.
A memorial service will be Nov. 15 at 11 a.m. at Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary in Astoria.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alano Club of the Eastside in Bellevue, Wash.