Hazel Belle Brinkmeier

Hazel Belle Brinkmeier passed away peacefully on May 22, 2026, at the age of 96, surrounded by loved ones on the family farm in Mount Carroll.

Hazel was born on November 18, 1929, in a little farmhouse near the intersection of Gillogly and Dauphin Roads, at Savanna, Illinois. She was the daughter of Victor and Mattie (Palmer) Dauphin, and the youngest of eight children.

She grew up in a farm family, and attended Union School, Excelsior School, and Savanna High School. As a girl, she went to lots of dances on Fourth Street in Savanna with family and friends. Hazel met her husband and future dancing partner, Harold Brinkmeier, one day while she was sitting on the steps of the old Farm Bureau building on Market Street in Mount Carroll. She was waiting for a ride back to Savanna, and Harold— the assistant farm advisor at the time— offered her a ride home. Harold and Hazel were married in 1950 at the Community Church in Savanna and had their wedding dance in the old Farm Bureau Hall in Mount Carroll. They were married for 58 years, until Harold’s passing in 2008.

The young couple lived on the Zella Corbett farm near Mount Carroll, where they had their first son, Gregory, in 1951. They then moved to Oakton Road in Savanna, where their second son, Daniel, was born. After another move, this time to Lincoln, Illinois, when Harold became the Logan County Farm Advisor, they welcomed their third son, Brian, who was born in 1956.

In 1968, Harold became Carroll County Farm Advisor, and the family came back home and bought a small farm south of Mount Carroll, where Hazel then lived the rest of her life. She raised three sons while working full-time as a paralegal for the John Leemon law office. She was sometimes called “Lawyer Hazel” because of her expertise in wills, estates, and taxes. She retired from the law office in 1993 after 26 years, but continued as bookkeeper for the Lutheran Church, and until recently, still did the record keeping for the family farm.

Her last years were spent in her home, where she had lived for nearly 60 years, as she watched over and cared for Harold, her sons, and then her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She and Harold traveled often, and attended annual reunions of Harold’s WWII B-24 bomber group, as well as many county extension advisor meetings throughout the U.S. The couple loved dancing, cherished the company of countless relatives and friends, and for many years welcomed dozens of international visitors from around the world through a U.S. State Department program, along with guests from many countries working at Chicago’s Field Museum.

A very private person, she was known for her sense of humor, her generosity, her unwavering devotion to her family. She was stubborn and headstrong, proud of who she was, and grateful for everything she had. But above all, she was always correct in all things. During her last years, her favorite thing to say was, “I have no complaints.” Near the end of her life, she exclaimed “WOW!” to all the good things that she saw and felt. She’d had a wonderful, long life full of joy.

Hazel is survived by her three sons, Greg (Georgia Hartman) of Portage, Wisconsin; Dan, of Mount Carroll; Brian (Linda Johnson) of Mount Carroll, and her four grandchildren, Loran (Brittney) Brinkmeier of Peoria, Christie (Brian) Kapel of Portage, Wisconsin, Jennifer (Rob) Robinson of Mount Carroll, and Carrie Brinkmeier (Corey Verseman) of Madison, Wisconsin, as well as seven great grandchildren, Oakley, Ruger, Bryar, Bridger, Ryker, Charlotte, and Elena.

Hazel was preceded in death by her husband, Harold; her parents, Victor and Mattie Dauphin; and seven brothers and sisters. She was the last surviving member of the Dauphin family of her generation.

Her family would like to thank the following for aiding us in Hazel’s weeks of life: Nora Edgar, Mercy Grant, and the wonderful staff of Mount Carroll Allure and Serenity Hospice and Home care.

A service will be held 2pm Friday, June 5, 2026 at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in  Mt. Carroll, with a visitation at the church from 12-2 pm.    Internment will be at Oakville Cemetery, Mt. Carroll. Arrangements by Law Jones Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to The Mount Carroll Ambulance Association and Allure of Mount Carroll.