Donald J. Hazen, age 51, a resident of Elmhurst, died Saturday, January 22, 2011 at Lexington Health Care Center of Elmhurst. He was born March 28, 1959 in Oak Park, IL.

Don was a 1977 graduate of York Community High School in Elmhurst, and attended college at the University of California, Berkeley. An accomplished gymnast in high school and college, Don qualified for the NCAA tournament finals in three consecutive years on his specialty, the pommel horse. Following college, he was employed for more than 15 years as an engineer in the landfill gas industry in California. His position took him to Asia on numerous occasions to introduce his company's technologies to emerging markets.

Don was an avid golfer and an exceptional cook. In recent years he enjoyed substituting for the regulars in his father's poker group. Among Don's fondest childhood memories were the summers he spent with his cousins at his grandmother's cottage in Goshen, MA.

Don is survived by his wife, Leslie (née Hoffer); by his daughter, Mary Anne Hazen of Austin, TX; by two brothers, Robert J. of Naperville, IL, and Richard S. of Foothill Ranch, CA; and by his nephew and niece, John R. Hazen and Diana K. Hazen, both of Chicago, IL. Don was preceded in death by his parents, Harold G. Hazen, Jr. and Alice M. Hazen (née Hindle), originally of Springfield, MA; and by his sister-in-law, Janice Hazen (née Woolf).

Services and interment are private at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to the American Cancer Society, 1801 S. Meyers Rd., Ste. #100, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181.