Janice Paulina Hazen, an 88-year-old cherished resident of Belgrade Minnesota, passed away on December 6 2025 at St Cloud Hospital following severe injuries from a rural vehicle collision in Kandiyohi County.
The incident unfolded around noon on December 6 near the intersection of 163rd Street Northeast and 38th Avenue Northeast north of Atwater, where a southbound pickup truck failed to yield and struck an eastbound SUV carrying Hazen. Emergency crews from multiple agencies including Kandiyohi County Rescue and Atwater Fire Department responded swiftly, airlifting Hazen and the SUV driver to the hospital while the pickup occupant was transported by ground ambulance.
Authorities confirmed Hazens cause of death as complications from blunt force trauma sustained in the crash, with the Kandiyohi County Sheriffs Office leading the ongoing investigation into the failure to yield at the rural stop intersection.
The SUV driver, 74 year old Robert Knutson of Spicer Minnesota, suffered serious but non life threatening injuries and remains hospitalized in stable condition as of December 9. The pickup driver, a 52 year old man from Brooten whose name has not been released pending charges, sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.
Born on March 15 1937 in rural Kandiyohi County to Paul and Eleanor Swanson, Janice grew up on the family farm embracing a life rooted in community and hard work that defined her enduring spirit. She graduated from Belgrade Brooten Elrosa High School in 1955 where she excelled in home economics and served as class secretary, later marrying her high school sweetheart Dale Hazen in 1958 and building a family farmstead filled with shared harvests and holiday traditions.
Professionally Janice dedicated over four decades to the Belgrade school district as a cafeteria manager, where her baking skills turned school lunches into comforting staples like homemade cinnamon rolls that generations of students still recall fondly. After retirement in 2002 she volunteered with the local senior center organizing quilting bees and potluck dinners, channeling her nurturing energy into fostering intergenerational bonds in the small town she called home.
Family formed the heart of Janices world as a devoted mother to three children including sons David and Michael and daughter Linda, alongside eight grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren who gathered annually for lake outings at Green Lake. Her lifestyle blended quiet faith as an active member of Belgrade United Methodist Church with hobbies like gardening heirloom tomatoes and knitting afghans for newborns, often sharing stories of her Norwegian heritage over coffee with neighbors.
As Belgrade mourns Janices unexpected departure the community finds solace in her legacy of unwavering love and quiet strength that touched every corner of rural Minnesota life. Funeral arrangements are pending with Harvey Anderson and Johnson Funeral Home in Willmar, with a tentative service planned for December 12 at the Belgrade church to celebrate the bonds she wove so enduringly.