Hazel E. Ciarcia

Hazel Emma (Wood) Ciarcia, 84, died Tuesday, December 6th, at Crestwood Care and Rehabilitation Center, 40 Crosby Street, Milford, NH. Daughter of the late Roy and Alma (Stevens) Wood, she was born November 26, 1927, in Newton, Massachusetts. Hazel was a 1945 graduate of Johnson High School, North Andover, MA. During World War II, Hazel was a member of the Civil Air Patrol in North Andover, MA. While her brothers served overseas, she helped the family by digging graves, trapping muskrats and selling the pelts, and snow plowing. She was a licensed hairdresser and worked many years for Justines, of Lawrence, MA. She also worked at Kimball Farms Ice Cream Stand in Littleton, MA, where she spent her childhood before moving to North Andover as a young teen. She was a devout member of the Jehovahs Witnesses for more than 45 years and was a member of the Lawrence, MA congregation for many years before moving to Englewood, FL where she was a member of the Englewood East Congregation for 29 years. She was most recently a member of the Milford, NH congregation. While in Florida, Hazel enjoyed bird watching and nature walks on the Stump Pass beach. She was a member of the turtle patrol, a group that protects sea turtle nests and assists newly-hatched baby turtles to get to the sea. She enjoyed nature and liked to watch eagles that nested near her home every winter in Florida. Hazel loved knitting and crafts and collecting shells and fossils. She will be remembered most for her enthusiasm and zest for life even after having suffered several strokes and being confined to a wheelchair since April 2001. After moving to Milford in 2006, Hazel enjoyed being with her family, watching birds, and being taken on nature walks in her wheel chair. She fed the squirrels and birds outside her nursing home window and delighted in their antics. Lately, she enjoyed going to local restaurants with old friends, and spending time with her newest great-grandchild. When asked recently how her family should handle matters when she passed, she said, "The battle doesnt stop because one soldier falls. Youll have to go on just as you did before. Pick up the colors and keep going." She was the widow of Salvatore F. Ciarcia. She was predeceased by two brothers, Stuart Wood, of North Andover, MA, Paul Wood, of Clearwater, FL; and a sister, Virginia (Wood) Waltz of Plaistow, NH. Survivors include a daughter, Judith Ciarcia Keller and her husband, John of Milford, NH; a son, David Ciarcia and his wife, Bonnie of Punta Gorda, FL; a brother, Herbert Wood and his wife, Rita of Amada, AZ; a brother, Leon Wood and his wife, Sally of Findlay, OH; a granddaughter, Kristen Brown of Tampa, FL; a grandson, Brad Ciarcia of Port Charlotte, FL; a granddaughter, Kathryn Keller Ngari and her husband, Titus of Milford, NH; two great-grandsons, Logan Brown of Tampa, FL and Jeremiah Samuel Ngari of Milford, NH; many nieces and nephews; and a special friend, Katea Marie Grimes of Milford, NH. At Hazels request, there will be no calling hours. A memorial service will be held on Friday, December 9th at 11:00 am in the Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford, NH. In lieu of flowers, donations in Hazels memory may be made to the Residents Activity Fund at Crestwood Care and Rehabilitation Center, 40 Crosby Street, Milford, NH, 03055.