Hazel Marie Pruitt Nichols passed away on August 20, 2026. Funeral services will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, August  24 at Scott’s Funeral Home. A private family burial will follow the services. 

Hazel was born May 13, 1937, in Turnersville, Texas, on the Pruitt family farm to Zell Pruitt and Sunshine York Pruitt. Her life was one marked by faith, family, hard work, service to others, and an unwavering love for the people God placed in her path.

Hazel experienced great loss at a very young age when her mother, Sunshine, passed away when Hazel was only four years old, leaving Zell to care for five young children. In time, Zell married Nola, who brought a child of her own into the marriage. Together, they later welcomed a daughter, Nola, completing their blended family of seven children. Together, Zell and Nola raised a close-knit family built on hard work, perseverance, and love.

Hazel dearly loved her six siblings: Bonnie Jean Medders, Patsy Shirley, J.L. Pruitt, Bubby Harris, Kirby Pruitt, and Nola “Sister” Featherston. The Pruitt children attended Turnersville School and grew up working alongside their family, picking cotton throughout Coryell County and the surrounding counties. Hazel became known as one of the fastest cotton pickers around—a distinction that perfectly reflected the determination and work ethic she carried throughout her life.

Hazel made many treasured memories at Turnersville School. She was a cheerleader, Football Sweetheart, Class Favorite, and a member of the state-winning basketball team. But the greatest thing she found during those school years was the love of her life, Wiley Dean Nichols.

Hazel and Wiley married and shared 46 years together before his passing. Their marriage was built upon love, family, hard work, and a shared devotion to their Christian faith. To their union were born four children: Davy Zell Nichols, Steven ODean Nichols, Alice Len Nichols, and Wiley Allen Nichols.

In the mid-1950s, Hazel began working as a nurse for Dr. Lenard Pack. During the late 1970s and 1980s, she worked for Dr. Dan Stuckey. She later spent approximately 12 years working as a paramedical examiner for an insurance company. In addition to earning her nursing license, Hazel earned an associate degree in family and marriage counseling. Caring for others was not simply Hazel’s profession—it was part of who she was. Long after her working years, her family knew they could always call on her for advice, especially when someone was sick, hurt, or simply needed reassurance.

In her late forties, Hazel once again took on the role of mother when she began raising two of her grandsons, Davy Dean Nichols and Rocky Zell Nichols. She devoted herself to them with the same love, strength, and determination with which she had raised her own children.

Hazel’s family continued to grow through the generations. She was blessed with twelve grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren, and three great-great-grandchildren, with two more great-great-grandchildren on the way. She took great pride in her family and was always there to lend a helping hand, offer advice, or make sure everyone was taken care of.

Hazel knew how to work hard, but she also knew how to enjoy the simple things in life. Her idea of a good time was sitting down for a game of dominoes with her lifelong friends, Pat and A.C. Painter. She was famously frugal and could stretch a dollar farther than just about anyone. She understood the value of what she had, wasted very little, and found ways to make things last.

At the age of 22, Hazel was baptized, beginning a lifelong commitment to serving the Lord through her church. She served faithfully as a Sunday school teacher, Vacation Bible School leader, and deacon’s wife. If the doors of her Baptist church were open, chances were Hazel was there—ready to worship, work, serve, or lend a helping hand.

She faithfully served at Westview Baptist Church and later at Harmony Baptist Church. Her faith was not something reserved for Sundays; it was woven throughout her everyday life.

Of all the things Hazel and Wiley accomplished and all the things they hoped for their children, grandchildren, and generations yet to come, nothing mattered more to them than knowing their family had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. That was the legacy they valued above everything else.

Hazel’s life began on a family farm in Turnersville, shaped by both hardship and love. From a little girl who lost her mother far too soon, to a schoolgirl picking cotton and playing championship basketball, to a young woman falling in love with Wiley, to a nurse caring for others, a mother raising children and later grandchildren, and a grandmother watching her family grow across five generations, Hazel lived a full and meaningful life.

Her hands worked hard. Her door was open. Her advice was freely given. Her family was deeply loved. And her faith remained steadfast.

The greatest tribute to Hazel Marie Pruitt Nichols will not simply be in remembering the life she lived, but in carrying forward the things she and Wiley believed mattered most: loving family, helping others, working hard, serving faithfully, and knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Hazel was preceded in death by her parents, Zell and Sunshine York Pruitt and Nola “Toad” Brim Pruitt; husband, Wiley Dean Nichols; brothers, J. L Pruitt and Bubby Harris; sisters, Bonnie Jean Medders and Nola Featherston; son, Davy Zell Nichols; grandchild, Bucky Nichols; and daughter-in-law, Shirley Dunahoo Nichols.

Hazel is survived by her children Wiley Allen Nichols and wife, Sherry, Alice Tippit and husband, Dale, and Steven Nichols and daughter-in-law, Faye Nichols; grandsons, Denver Tippit and wife, Marlena, Davy Nichols, Rocky Nichols and wife, Megan, Lance Nichols, Seth Nichols and wife, Nicole, and Ty Nichols and wife, Taylor; granddaughters, Sunshine Buckner and husband, Steve, Kylie Young and husband, Brandon, Sara Cooper and husband, Logan, Kay Hunt and husband, Jared, Sage Benson and husband, Tannon and Haley Garrett and husband, Chris; brother, Kirby Pruitt and wife, Nancy; sister, Patsy Shirley; sister-in-law, Wanda Harris; great grandchildren, Riann, Jeret, Emma, Wemberly, Ally, Quade, Blayson, Braylen, Radlee, Laden, Ethan, Wyatt, Logan, Sam, Riley, Rivers, Breeze, Bliss, Brylie, Braxton, Bristol, Acelynn, Ainsley, Kelby, Case, Kagen, Journey, Paydon, Haze, and Tyson; and great great grandchildren, Zylas, Sterlin and Paxton, with two more great great grands on the way in 2027.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Harmony Baptist Church in care of Pat Painter, 1750 FM 215, Gatesville, TX 76528.