Joyce Hazen Litz

Age 85, of Albuquerque passed away on Jan 16, 2014 after a stroke. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Cheryl (McNab) and Don Hartman of Denver, daughter Sandra Litz of Baltimore, and son and daughter-in-law Craig and Cynthia Scott Litz of Dallas; grandchildren, John Coogan, Weston and Hunter Litz; and her brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Mary Hazen of Seattle. Joyce was born on May 9, 1928 in Lewistown, MT to Richard and Valle (Duval) Hazen. After the death of her mother at two, Joyce was raised primarily by her grandparents, Frank and Lillian Weston Hazen in Lewistown. She married Leon Litz of Trenton, UT on December 27, 1947 with whom she had her three children and subsequently divorced in 1972. In 1974 she received a BA in American Studies from George Mason University and worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield in Washington D.C. as a PAC Coordinator. Joyce retired in 1995 to Albuquerque. An avid freelance non-fiction writer throughout her life, Joyce's work appeared in numerous trade journals. In 2004 she published a book titled The Montana Frontier: One Woman's West (University of New Mexico Press), a biography of her grandmother, Lillian that was a finalist for the Willa Cather Award in 2005. Joyce will be buried at a later date in Lewistown, MT.