Obituary: Hazel Draper (née Letcher), Class of 1942

Hazel Draper, much-loved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on 1 March 2025, just one month before what would have been her 100th birthday.  

Born on the Isle of Wight in 1925, Hazel was the youngest of three daughters of Thomas and Ida Letcher. Her father, a Cornishman and the son of a Methodist minister, met her mother, Ida Brown, who came from a long-established Cowes family of merchants and shipbuilders. With her sisters Christine and Elizabeth (known as Buffy), Hazel spent her early childhood on “The Island”, developing the love of the sea and nature that stayed with her throughout her life. 

Although the family began in comfortable circumstances, the Great Depression brought hardship when Hazel's father’s boat-building business experienced difficulty. Her mother’s determination to provide for her children left a lasting impression. Working as a stewardess and nanny for Cunard, Ida was often away for months at a time, and Hazel’s sense of resilience and independence was forged in those years. 

When the family later moved to Thames Ditton, Hazel and Buffy were enrolled at the distinguished Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton. It was here that her natural academic ability flourished. She was a capable and diligent pupil with a particular gift for languages, writing and the meticulous skills of shorthand and typing that would shape her professional life. Her education was interrupted by the outbreak of the Second World War, yet Hazel’s determination never wavered. She continued her studies throughout the Blitz, even revising by torchlight in an Anderson shelter. 

After earning her School Certificate of Education, Hazel began her career as a shorthand typist, a profession for which she was ideally suited. Her speed and accuracy became something of a legend among her colleagues. She worked for the Bank of England, which had been relocated to Winchester during the later years of the war, and it was there that she met a young naval officer, Colin Draper, at a dance. They married in 1949, and between 1950 and 1956 welcomed three daughters: Judith, Hilary and Anne. 

In 1957, the family settled in Sevenoaks, where Hazel managed a lively household with grace, ingenuity and a quiet sense of humour. Education remained a lifelong value; she took pride in her daughters’ studies and encouraged their curiosity and independence. Later, she moved to the village of Weald, where she found great happiness in her garden, her dogs and her regular bridge circle. 

Those who knew Hazel remember her as intelligent, witty and unassuming, a woman of quiet courage and steadfast principles. She never sought attention, yet her wisdom, kindness and calm presence enriched countless lives. 

She leaves behind three daughters, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, a legacy of love, learning and gentle strength. To her family and friends, she was, quite simply, the “still, small voice of calm.”