Robert Earl Hawkins

Robert Earl Hawkins, 89, of St. Joseph, MI passed away Monday, September 25, 2017 at his home. No service or visitation has been planned. Those wishing to share a memory of Robert online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com Robert was born November 19, 1927 in Hinsdale, Illinois to Francis and Hazel (McCollum) Hawkins. He was in the Navy in 1945 and 1946, training to be a Naval aviator at the very end of the war. When the war ended, he attended Pharmacy school. He opened his own corner drugstore in Clarendon Hills Illinois in 1957, where he worked until retiring in 1992. He and the love of his life and wife, Joan Mary Michiels, rarely left each other’s side during their sixty-six year marriage. They spent their retirement years enjoying the views from the dream house they built in the treetops, high up in the dunes. Robert painted in watercolor and made incredibly complex wooden ship models, always with a new project to replace the last upon completion.   He was the best husband and dad anyone could have ever asked for. Robert is survived by his wife, Joan; sons, Bruce Hawkins of St. Joseph, MI, Gary (Jane) Hawkins of Hinsdale, IL and Joel (Mary) Hawkins of Old Lyme, CT; grandchildren, Ian Hawkins, Grant (Gabrielle) Hawkins and Abigail Hawkins. He was preceded by his parents.