John F. Hawkins Jr's Obituary
Funeral services for Mr. John F. Hawkins Jr. will be held on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Rader Funeral Home in Longview; visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. He will be laid to rest at Forest Park Cemetery Shreveport LA following the funeral. Mr. Hawkins passed away on September 15, 2025, in Longview, TX.
John was born in East Texas, the only child of John Sr. and Blossom Hawkins. His family soon moved to Belcher, LA near Shreveport, where he lived next to his future wife, Lessie Haygood. He worked with his father farming cotton. Following his graduation from North Caddo High School, John attended and graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. He then worked for Beaird Industries and AMAPE in Shreveport for many years before going to Stemco in Longview, GT Exhaust and Powertherm Maxim. He was known in the industry as “Mr. Silencer”. He was active in Highland Baptist as a deacon and led the TV ministry, at Mobberly playing in the orchestra and in ASME engineering society as district leader.
John was preceded in death by his parents. Those left to cherish their memories of John include his wife, Lessie Haygood Hawkins; his daughters Lee (Bob) Babbitt, Pam (Ray) Stewart and Margaret (Jeff) Boemer and 6 grandchildren- James and John Babbitt, Wesley Beede, Emery Jones, Annabelle and Lynlee Boemer.
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