Kay Hawes' Obituary
Kathleen Frances Owens was born November 4, 1927 to William Charles and Lenore Mary (Humpfer) Owens in Newark, New Jersey. She was predeceased by her husband Henry Hawes, her parents, her brother Tom and sister Pat. She is survived by her 5 children – Virginia (Paul Curtis), Fred, Bill (Judy), Jonathan (Yvonne) and Steve (Tracey), by her sister Janet Maguire, by 5 grandchildren – Matt Hawes (Sam), Nikki Harada (Jesse), Daniel, Rika and Takumi. Also nieces and nephews Jim Owens, Peggy Owens Littmann, Cindy Owens Buchman, Lisa Maguire Henion, Scott Maguire and Julie Maguire.
She grew up in Belleville, New Jersey with siblings Thomas William, Patricia Jeanne & Janet Mae. She graduated from Belleville High School in 1945 and went to work at W.B. Driver Company in their metallurgy lab while attending night school at Seton Hall College.
She married Henry Nickerson Hawes on August 13, 1950 in Belleville and the children followed: Virginia Margaret, Frederick Thomas, William Harold, Jonathan Henry and Stephen Dale. In 1952, they moved to De Queen, Arkansas for Henry’s work, then to Dallas, Texas in 1953 and to Richardson, Texas in 1954. The family were founding members of St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in 1956.
Because our father worked out of town during the week, she learned to be independent and self-reliant. Once the children were all in school, she went back to work as a clerk at Cloth World, which was fitting, as she was an accomplished seamstress. When Henry died abruptly in 1979, she realized she needed a better job to support herself & son Steve, who was still in high school. She returned to school at Richland College and then worked in a metallurgy lab at Texas Instruments. After retirement from TI, she completed her BA degree at University of Texas at Dallas in Interdisciplinary Studies – she was rightly proud of finally earning her Bachelor's Degree at age 65.
She traveled extensively after retirement, to England, Japan and Australia, as well as within the United States. She had many friends, in her bowling league and later in her quilting group and bridge clubs, her Silver Sneakers exercise class at the YMCA, as well as at St. Paul’s church. She loved playing board games and was very competitive, even cutthroat. During the pandemic she suffered greatly from the forced lack of social activities.
Her health declined during her last year and she succumbed on November 30, 2022 at the age of 95.
Funeral Mass will be Friday, December 9, 2022, at St Paul’s Catholic Church at 10 AM, following a rosary at 9:30 AM and Viewing at 9:15 AM. Interment will follow at Restland Cemetery (Chapel Garden Mausoleum). She will be sorely missed by family and friends.
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