Hazel Poulsen passed away peacefully on September 3, 2019, at the age of 88.
She was born Hazel Ann Huhnke, one of five children to Iva and Carl Huhnke, on
November 25, 1930, in Hamlet, Indiana. In high school, she was an active member of
her local 4-H Club and attended the Indiana State Fair 4-H School in 1949. Her long
involvement with 4-H continued throughout adulthood with all of her children as active
participants.
Her belief in education as essential to the development of a person’s full potential led
her to be the first of her family to go to college, graduating in 1952 from the University of
Illinois’ Cook County School of Nursing in Chicago. As a student nurse, she was part of
a pilot program to send nursing students to disadvantaged and underserved Chicago
neighborhoods as a means to providing basic medical care. She retired as a
Registered Nurse from Ball Memorial Hospital of Muncie, Indiana in 1999.
She was married to George John Poulsen from 1952 until his death in 1999, and had
six children: Gregory (Fern) Poulsen, Norma (Nelson) Chao, Christine, Randall (Karen)
Poulsen, Anna (Brett) Cumberland, and George Jr (Robin) Poulsen. Her interests
included gardening, baking, and Civil War history. At Residences at Deer Creek of
Schererville, Indiana, she was known for her love of jigsaw puzzles.
In addition to her children, she is also survived by eleven grandchildren: Colin,
Christina, and Christopher Chao; Michael and Michelle Poulsen; Brenna and Erin
Poulsen; Paul and Neil Cumberland; and Griffin and Keegan Poulsen.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in
Hazel’s honor at https://alz.org/.Visitation will be Monday, September 9, 2019 at Burns-Kish Funeral Home 8415 Calumet Ave. Munster, IN. Services will be private.

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