Next time the Phoenix environmental activism community gathers to demand action on air quality or climate change, it will be without one of its most visible, vibrant and notoriously oven-mitt-clad leaders.
Hazel Chandler, 80, lost her 17-year battle with cancer Nov. 8, surrounded by family at her daughter Jen Chandler’s home in Prescott. Hazel, who had previously been living in Phoenix, had celebrated 9 years of remission before being diagnosed again in 2021.
To those who knew her best, it’s no surprise that Hazel outlasted cancer as long as she did. Her endurance in fighting what can feel like hopeless, losing battles against larger and more powerful forces proved inexhaustible over her six decades pushing for improved air quality and climate regulations on behalf of future generations…