David John Hazlewood

A lot of laugher went out of this world on August 11, 2017 when David John Hazlewood passed away. He was born on July 1, 1955 in Amarillo, Texas and, according to his mother, he was born laughing. David developed a passion for dirt bikes and motorcycles at an early age and spent his teenage years working at various motorcycle shops. Many Sunday afternoons were spent with his family riding up and down the Canadian river bed. He continued to enjoy riding his motorcycle for many years and explored much territory in the mountains in New Mexico where he and his wife, Anne, would spend time in the summer. David graduated from Tascosa High School in Amarillo a semester early, in January 1973. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in May of 1976 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies. During his college years he became interested in the political process, and he served on the Sergeant-At-Arms staff for the Texas House of Representatives and later as a Congressional Intern for Congressman Jack Hightower in Washington, D.C. David attended Texas Tech University School of Law, where he met his beautiful bride and best friend, Anne. They were both admitted to the State Bar of Texas in November of 1979. He worked in the Randall County Criminal District Attorney’s office under Randall Sherrod from August 1979 to July 1980 and then moved to Lubbock and worked in the Lubbock County Criminal District Attorney’s office under John T. Montford and Jim Bob Darnell from July 1980 to July 1, 1984. When he left that office, he was serving as Misdemeanor Chief. From July 1984 to September 1987 he served as Associate General Counsel for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. In September 1987, he went into private practice and also served as a part-time Criminal Magistrate for Lubbock County as well as the Dickens County Attorney Pro Tem. In 1990, Anne joined him in private practice, which he affectionately referred to as “Hazlewood and Husband”. They continued to practice together until his death. To borrow words from a colleague, “David represented citizens accused of crime with a tenacity that was admired by friend and foe alike. David chose to represent the least of God’s creatures, focusing on representing juveniles and indigent defendants in Lubbock and throughout the South Plains. His pragmatism, humility and love for his wife and family were examples of what many of us aspire to. David encouraged and mentored young lawyers throughout his career.” David never judged anyone and was generous to a fault. He loved life and he loved living. He was always planning an adventure and would announce that he had “a David plan”. One of those plans involved a trip to Key West via Albuquerque. David always considered himself to be a renegade, but in reality, he was more of a rule follower than he wanted to believe. His main rule though, was the Golden Rule, which he lived daily. He was genuine, forthright and gentle with a good dose of crazy. He had a strong sense of family, and was instrumental in helping his son, John David, obtain the rank of Eagle Scout. David was active with his son’s troop and attended many Boy Scout trips, acting as chaperone. Sometimes it was hard to decide who was the chaperone and who was the scout. A conversation with David would not last long before the subject matter turned to Jimmy Buffett. He loved Jimmy Buffett music and knew everything about Jimmy’s history and career. He and Anne took many trips with Margaritaville Adventures and were on every inaugural adventure, usually the first to sign up for the next trip. David was a member of the Lubbock Area Bar Association, the Juvenile Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and Lubbock Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, where he served as President in 2013-14 and was a course director for the Prairie Dog Advanced Criminal Law Course. He was also the President of the local Jimmy Buffett fan club, Pirates of the Plains. He was a member of Renegade Trail Riders, the Lubbock Country Club noon group, and the Outlaw Grillers. David was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and Jack Hazlewood, a brother, Richard Hazlewood and his parents in law, Betty and Jim Morris. He is survived by Anne, his wife of 37 years; a son, John David; a sister, Anne-Marie and husband, Blair; sister-in-law, Catherine Mitchell; brothers in law, Jim Morris and wife Helen; Craig Morris and wife Donna; an aunt, Dorothy Archer; an uncle, Richard Archer and wife, Ruth; and many loving nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and cousins. Visitation will be held on Wednesday August 16, 2017 from 6 p.m.-7p.m. at Sanders Funeral Home, 1420 Main Street, Lubbock, Texas. A memorial service will be held at 11am on Thursday, August 17, 2017 at the First United Methodist Church, 1411 Broadway, Lubbock, Texas. To honor David's memory please feel free to attend this celebration of his life in David-like attire. A private graveside service will be held at the City of Lubbock Cemetery. Donations may be made to Meals on Wheels. The consummate Parrothead, David is probably enjoying a LandShark beer with like-minded spirits even as you read this. He will be missed by all who had the good fortune to know him.

David John Hazlewood

July 1, 1955 - August 11, 2017