Hazel met Harold Stutsman at a dance in the summer of 1952.
"When the band was playing the Home Sweet Home waltz, Harold came and asked me to dance. I'm a terrible dancer, but Harold didn't seem to mind."
Harold worked for Whitman College (where John was going to school) in the heating plant and on the grounds. The pair were married on June 26, 1953 at Endicott, Washington.
"I met Harold the summer before we were married. We were soon together constantly. Things didn't go smooth for us as it seemed both his relatives and mine objected, but we perservered."