John E Hawkes

John Earl Hawkes passed away peacefully at home December 5th, 2018. He was born in Portland, Oregon to Loyd James Hawkes and Anna Eva Elizabeth Suokko. Dad graduated from South Eugene high school in 1963 and from the University of Oregon in 1968 with a degree in Political Science. In sculpture class at the U of O he met the love of his life Martha and they were married in 1966 (she preceded him in death in 2015). In his young days, dad hunted and fished with his father and uncles up in Astoria where his mother’s family had settled, and he was an avid tennis and golf player in his later youth. Mom and dad moved to Newport in the early 70’s when dad received a permanent position as clerk in Toledo for the Southern Pacific Railroad. When Southern Pacific moved there office dad took early retirement and worked for a time at Canyon Way Bookstore and then at Pacific Community Hospital where he finished his career as a purchasing clerk. With mom and his dear friend Pen, they started a small press poetry magazine called Fedora that was published from 1978-1983 that featured art and poetry from numerous contributors regionally, and the Oregon coast artistic community of which mom and dad were longtime members. An accomplished photographer, published poet, and fierce Chinese checker player! Dad was always at the ready with a kind smile, hug and kiss, funny and creative, and engaged with life. A few of dads favorite pastimes were to go for drive with mom or loading up the truck to go camping down at Three Forks with his longtime friends Pen and Jack, or sitting at the table with a stack of dictionaries on one side, pen and papers on the other side with coffee and cigarettes at the ready thinking of the way he wanted to string words together. He is survived by his daughters Ann Marie Hawkes and Jessica Hawkes, grandsons Isaac and Aaron, great grandson Peter and dear companion Catalina Reyes. Anne and I would like to thank the staff at Aging Wisely and Hospice for their kindness and professionalism; without which Anne and I would have been at a complete loss. Father and best friend, he will be forever in our hearts. Donations in John’s honor may be made to Samaritan Pacific Hospice, PO Box 945, Newport, Oregon 97365.

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