Mark Philip Hazlewood of St. Louis, MO, passed away on March 22, 2026 at the age of 72, surrounded by his loving family.
Mark loved music. This was evident in his education (Mark received his Bachelor of Music from Culver-Stockton College and his Master of Arts from Northeast Missouri State University) and in his first career (Mark taught several years in Earlham, Iowa serving as choir director building the music program and directing musicals). But it was in his home where his passion for music was most evident. A self-proclaimed “Robert Shaw Freak,” Mark attended Shaw’s Carnegie Hall Choral Workshops and enjoyed collecting his recordings and studying scores while blasting them on his stereo. He also coached several high school string quartets.
Mark left Iowa in 1983 to return to St. Louis and succeed his father at P.R.A.Y. Publishing (a national nonprofit organization) where he served as CEO until 2016, overseeing the Protestant Religious Emblems series and working with the youth offices of national church denominations and the religious relationships committees of national scouting organizations. He enjoyed teaching at the Philmont Scout Ranch Training Center and forming lasting relationships. While at P.R.A.Y., Mark received his MBA from Maryville University of St. Louis.
Mark was a church man. He was brought up by his family in Dover Place Christian Church and returned there to raise his own family and serve as choir director and also board chair. Following its closure, Mark found home in Southminster Presbyterian Church where he had long been a member of the Men’s Bible Study group. He enjoyed being part of the choir and active in Bible studies.
But above all, Mark was a family man. He liked to say that he married above his pay grade, but Deb would say that Mark was her rock (albeit a dizzy, vertigo, lose your balance kind of rock) and that it was his strength that she leaned into. Mark and Deb met in Iowa where they taught high school and directed “Guys and Dolls” together. Several years after moving to St. Louis, Mark convinced Deb to work at P.R.A.Y. where they brought their daughters to work every day and raised them in the office. Mark loved his nephews and nieces and took pride in being “Crazy Uncle Mark.”
Mark was preceded in death by his parents, Eugene and Carol Hazlewood, and is survived by his wife, Deb Hazlewood, his two daughters Angela Hazlewood (fiancé Logan) and Chrissy Humbles (Dayton), and his brother Rick Hazlewood (Terry).
Services: Visitation will be Friday, March 27, from 4 to 8 p.m. at Kutis Affton Chapel, 10151 Gravois. Further visitation will be Saturday, March 28, at noon with the funeral service at 1 p.m., both at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 10126 E. Watson Rd, Crestwood, MO 63126 with streaming services available here. Interment will be held at Park Lawn Cemetery for family and close friends. A church-wide reception/brunch will be held Sunday, March 29 at 11 a.m. following Palm Sunday services.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Southminster Presbyterian Church, 10126 E. Watson Rd, Crestwood, MO 63126.