Hazel Juanita (Pittman) Braxton

Hazel Juanita Pittman Braxton was born on June 27, 1941, in Halifax County, North Carolina, to the late Leon and Helen Pittman. Hazel was the third of six children. She was raised by her grandparents, the late Lilly and Van Pittman.

As a young child, she accepted Christ and was baptized at Rocky Mount Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Hazel attended St. James Baptist Church and was an active member until she left home to attend college at Hampton Institute, now Hampton University, and remained a huge supporter of her church.

She received her early education in Rocky Mount, graduating with honors from Booker T. Washington High School. At Hampton Institute, she majored in Chemistry. She married Robert "Bobby" Braxton, who chased her on Hampton’s campus because she was very smart and described by Bobby as “pretty and built.” Hazel loved gardening and won every battle with the groundhogs that messed with her cherry tomatoes. At first, when she married, she could not cook, but learned and cooked everything from scratch when preparing meals.

Hazel had a very successful federal government career. She was one of the few Black women hired at the Philadelphia Hospital. She left Philadelphia and went to the National Institute for Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a specialist in crystallography, the experimental science of determining the atomic and molecular structure of crystals. Hazel left NIH and became a leader of the Hope 6 program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She and Bobby traveled a lot to many places on the globe. Travel was one of the things that Hazel enjoyed most. She traveled to more than 13 countries, visiting Italy, France, England, Korea, Japan, all of the Caribbean Islands, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Morocco, Sierra Leone, and, most recently, Antarctica.

The only thing that competed with her love of travel was buying clothes, which Bobby describes as “clothes that were not cheap.” She enjoyed fashion and had a love for shopping. While living in Columbia, Maryland, Hazel attended Locust United Methodist Church and was very involved in the community. She taught Bible Study to the members and held passionate, interesting, and constructive discussions with all of the clerics.

Hazel and Bobby returned to Williamsburg after retiring, and she transferred her membership from the Columbia Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to the Williamsburg Alumnae Chapter. She was a member of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) and Greater Williamsburg Women’s Association (GWWA). She was an energetic, active, and dedicated member of these organizations and worked well beyond a point that her health would allow. She found joy as a master gardener and working for the Colonial Behavioral Health in Williamsburg. She enjoyed talking on the phone with different family and friends and always had a lot to say!

She was preceded in death by her siblings, Edward Pittman, Yvonne Pittman Gregg, Lilly Pittman, Dwight Pittman, and Ethel Pittman. She leaves her husband, Robert "Bobby" Braxton; son, Gregory Braxton; granddaughter, Ashley Braxton; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends to cherish her memories.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the Historic First Baptist Church, Williamsburg.  Interment to follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery.  Mrs. Braxton may be viewed on Friday in the church beginning at 4:00 p.m., with the Delta Sigma Theta Omega Omega Service beginning at 6:00 p.m.  

Professional services have been entrusted to the staff of Whiting's Funeral Home, 7005 Pocahontas Trail, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185. 757-229-3011 whitingsfuneralhome.com

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