Kenneth Charles Hawkins III, 58, was called home to be with his Father in Heaven on Sunday, May 8, 2011, after a two-year battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday May 14, at the First Southern Baptist Church of Overgaard.
Ken was born on Oct. 13, 1952, in Breman, Ind., the fourth of five children born to Kenneth Charles Hawkins II and Dolores Ann Hutchison.
Kenneth married his sweetheart, Deborah Donna Sauberan on Sept. 11, 1971.
He was the father of one son and two daughters, and grandfather of nine: Kenneth (Barbara) Hawkins, and Summer, Ashlyn, Tristan and Brennan; Melissa Wright, and Audriana, Zachary and Bryce; and Heather (Aaron) Simmons, and Arik and Keira.
Ken “The Hawk” Hawkins was a dedicated public servant, serving the Phoenix Police Department from 1976 until 1980. Then he joined the Arizona Department of Public Safety, where he served honorably until his passing, receiving numerous awards, including Officer of the Year and Supervisor of the Year.
He was an avid outdoorsman, who loved to run, walk, hike, bike and fish, and he shared this passion with his family. He loved to spend one on one time with his grandchildren in the great outdoors.
Ken was very active in the First Southern Baptist Church of Overgaard where he was a Sunday School teacher and deacon. He served the members of his church and community with love, dedication and compassion.
Survivors include his wife, children and grandchildren, as well as his mother, Dolores Hawkins; his sisters, Christina (Marty) Morgan, Carolina Hawkins and Traci Hawkins; and his brother, Randy Hawkins.
He was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Charles Hawkins II in 1993.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, www.lls.org.
