— Dec. 18, 1935 - Sept. 4, 2010
William Lee Hawkins died peacefully in his sleep the morning of Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010. He was born Dec. 18, 1935, in Sharpsville, to Marjorie Ruth (Wooldridge) and Lloyd Frances Hawkins. On Nov. 15, 1958, he married Betty (Ripberger) at St. John’s Catholic Church and she survives.
Bill was a carpenter by trade. His unique skills with wood were apparent in his home and many other places. One that comes to mind is the confessional he made into a china cabinet at the St. Joseph Center. It remains a conversational piece in the sisters’ dining room.
The work that was his pride and joy was the restoration of Dr. Mary Compton’s home office. Bill was proud to be a part of four generations of Hawkins woodworkers: His dad, Lloyd, Bill, his daughter, Tracey, and son, Doug, and Doug’s children with their numerous 4-H woodworking projects.
Bill was also pleased to be the descendant of Amos Hawkins (1772-1844), whose home, constructed in 1826, now stands in Ceasar’s Creek Pioneer Village near Waynesville, Ohio, as “one of the finest early log structures in Ohio.”
Bill loved nature and he also loved to read, mostly about history, wars and Indian culture. Over the years, he collected arrow heads. On his good-feeling days, the past two years have been spent building a totem pole.
He also raised exotic animals. He raised llamas for 30 years and had acquired the name, “the llama man” from his friends. His favorite pasttimes was attending exotic animal sales in Missouri twice a year with his friend “Baldy” Welcher.
Bill loved music and never tired of attending the music functions of his children and grandchildren. His once-in-a-lifetime trip was to Australia in 2003 to visit his granddaughter.
Bill is survived by his wife, Betty, Tipton; four children, Tracey and husband Devon Wilkins, Westfield, Marianne and husband Randy Arvin, Noblesville, Katrina and husband Curt Wright, Indianapolis, and Doug and wife Antonina, Tipton. Bill leaves 11 grandchildren: Jennifer, Jason, and Joseph Clark, Jill Gilmore, Ruben and Cheyenne Arvin, Nathaniel and Kathleen Wright, Lydia, Cassandra and John Luke Hawkins; two great-grandchildren, Averie and Nicole. Bill’s sister, Marita Muller and husband Rich, survive.
He was the beloved uncle to many nieces and nephews in Tipton. Throughout his months of pain, he shared his hospital bed with Moon, his dog and friend.
He was preceded in death by his brother, Daniel Lloyd Hawkins.
Bill was very proud of his family’s generations of military service. He served in the United States Air Force from 1953 to 1957. He was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church and an associate for the Sisters of St. Joseph in Tipton.
Funeral services are 10 a.m. Thursday at St. John’s Church, Tipton, with Revs. Leroy Kinnaman and Keith Hosey presiding.
Burial with military rites in St. John’s Cemetery will follow. Visitation is 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Young-Nichols Funeral Home, Tipton, where a wake service will take place at 7:30 p.m.
Memorial donations may be made to St. John’s School, 323 Mill St., Tipton.
