“I am just an old cracker,” jokes Hazel Singletary as she vividly recalls her childhood growing up on the island of Boca Grande. This Florida native’s story sounds like a page turner from a children’s novel as she retells stories of surviving appendicitis and Scarlett fever and emergency trips on the railways “putt-putt” car.
Born in 1934, young Hazel Presley grew up the daughter of the island’s “ice man” and later grocer. She watched her entrepreneur father build and expand Presley Grocery where she first worked stocking shelves. The oldest of three girls, Hazel loved growing up on the small island where she spent most of her days skating and bicycling along the beach.
In 1952, she graduated from high school (in a graduating class of only seven) and married her soulmate, Raymond Singletary, a railroad worker she met at her dad’s store when he was working on the island. The newlyweds moved to Tampa and raised two sons, Raymond Jr, William …show more content…
The couple traveled, worked part time and enjoyed their now 6 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Hazel especially enjoyed working as a florist at Pedals and Bows in Lake Wales. Although now retired, she is currently preparing all of the flower arrangements for her youngest grandson’s wedding this month.
The couple lived retirement life to the fullest until Ray was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. “The doctors told us that he only had six months to live when I took him home from the hospital,” Hazel explains. “I took him home and cared for him like one would care for a baby and it was the hardest thing I have ever done, but he lived for 22 months,” she says with her wedding ring strung from her necklace, near to her heart. “He proposed to me on April Fool’s day,” she laughs. Raymond obviously knew he would be a fool to not marry this beautiful and witty woman. They were married 58
Born in 1934, young Hazel Presley grew up the daughter of the island’s “ice man” and later grocer. She watched her entrepreneur father build and expand Presley Grocery where she first worked stocking shelves. The oldest of three girls, Hazel loved growing up on the small island where she spent most of her days skating and bicycling along the beach.
In 1952, she graduated from high school (in a graduating class of only seven) and married her soulmate, Raymond Singletary, a railroad worker she met at her dad’s store when he was working on the island. The newlyweds moved to Tampa and raised two sons, Raymond Jr, William …show more content…
The couple traveled, worked part time and enjoyed their now 6 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Hazel especially enjoyed working as a florist at Pedals and Bows in Lake Wales. Although now retired, she is currently preparing all of the flower arrangements for her youngest grandson’s wedding this month.
The couple lived retirement life to the fullest until Ray was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. “The doctors told us that he only had six months to live when I took him home from the hospital,” Hazel explains. “I took him home and cared for him like one would care for a baby and it was the hardest thing I have ever done, but he lived for 22 months,” she says with her wedding ring strung from her necklace, near to her heart. “He proposed to me on April Fool’s day,” she laughs. Raymond obviously knew he would be a fool to not marry this beautiful and witty woman. They were married 58