Hazel (Crabtree) Hoskins

Hazel Hoskins, a missionary who shared God’s Word on every continent alongside her preacher husband Bob, passed away Monday, June 22, 2015 at the age of 81.

Never being content to just “sit there” in this temporal life, Hazel now sits at the throne of Jesus.

Born October 3, 1933, Hazel grew up in Bangor, Maine, the eldest daughter of Pentecostal pastor parents Clifford and Helen Crabtree.

Hazel is a 1954 alumnus of Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. In 1959, after a long courtship, she married evangelist Bob Hoskins.

Immediately after marrying, Bob and Hazel begin their lifelong service as missionaries to the world, working on the continents of Africa and South America and in the mission fields of Lebanon and France. Hazel wrote a book about their experiences as missionaries in Africa called, Honeymoon Safari, released in 1963. The next ten years were spent traveling as missionary evangelist in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Hazel often quoted the words of Ruth to Naomi in regards to her life serving with Bob: “’Wither thou goest, I will go.’She joked that she didn’t know she would “goest” so far nor “wither” so fast, but she had incomparable joie de vie for her unpredictable and adventurous life.

In 1987, a powerful conviction from God set the Hoskins on a new mission: take His Word to every child in the world. In less than 30 years, that ministry—originally called Book of Hope, and now OneHope—has reached more than 1 billion children and youth with God’s Word in 145 countries.

A strong advocate of God’s Word, Hazel was never shy about sharing a favorite verse, always noting, “and of course this is the King James Version.”

Hazel was also known as a ferocious woman of prayer. Her son Rob often credited many of the ministry’s successes to her ardent prayer life.

After years of refusals, Hazel finally penned her memoir, …And I Sat There in 2014.

Hazel is survived by her husband of 55 years, Bob Hoskins; sister Charlotte Crabtree Carlson (husband Ray Carlson); brother, Charles Crabtree (wife Ramona Crabtree); daughter Kimberly (husband Eric Propst); sons David and Rob (wife Kim Bueno Hoskins); and eight grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her brother Reverend David Crabtree (wife Dawn McClure Crabtree). Glick Family Funeral Home is organizing all the arrangements. Flowers can be sent directly to the Church of all Nations, 1300 NW 4th Ave., Boca Raton, FL 33432.

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