Geoffrey Cyril Hazzan
Geoffrey Cyril Hazzan, 91, of Culpeper, Va. died on March 18, 2023 at the Hospice of the Piedmont in Charlottesville. Born August 9, 1931 in Manchester, England, he was the son of Ralph and Sylvia Hazzan. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Marshall.
To know Geoffrey Hazzan was to know a friend, a student of all things, and a mensch.
Raised in Alexandria, Egypt, educated there and in Britain - including at Cambridge University - Geoffrey was an outstanding athlete, playing the highest level of amateur squash for Britain in his 20s and 30s and tennis locally at the Culpeper Indoor Tennis Club and the Country Club in his older years. He greatly enjoyed watching tennis and was also a mad Manchester United Soccer fan all his life.
Geoffrey was in the plastics industry for most of his formal career until he and his wife, Joan, took up chocolate-making as an adventure. They ran a chocolate shop named "Geoffroi" in North London and catered to chocolate-lovers from all over the world, making friends they have until this day.
After having known each other's families as children in Egypt, Geoffrey married Joan in 1978 after reconnecting at her ailing sister's bedside in a London hospital. They were happily married almost 45 years.
During this time, he supported Joan in her career at NASA and found every opportunity to connect with friends and strangers. An autodidact, Geoffrey learned 9 languages including Hebrew, Arabic, French and Japanese, which came in handy when he volunteered at the Visitor's Center of Alexandria, Va. and when he and Joan traveled to Egypt, Israel, Japan, Turkey, and Greece.
Geoffrey was the life of any party because he was a gifted storyteller and was always genuinely interested in other people's life experiences. He was a loyal friend whom all knew as an absolute gentleman with a winning smile.
Geoffrey is survived by his wife, Joan Vernikos Hazzan, and his stepchildren, Eftihia and George Danellis.
A funeral service was held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at Hill & Wood Funeral Home Charlottesville Chapel. A graveside service followed at the Hebrew Cemetery, Charlottesville.
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial contributions to the Hospice of the Piedmont or the Charlottesville synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel.
Condolences may be shared with the family at www.hillandwood.com.