Edna Capitola Hawthorne

Edna, 93, passed away Tuesday, April 1, 2014. She was born in Rochester, WA on June 3, 1920 to Bert and Mabel (Mills) Bicknell. Edna spent her childhood with three brothers in their family home. After her mother passed away at an early age, she moved to Seattle where she attended high school and worked as a Nanny caring for young children. After graduating from school, she moved to Olympia where she continued working as a Nanny before beginning her long career with the Washington State Department of Revenue.

Edna was a very independent and resourceful woman for her time. She acquired property on Long Lake where she helped build a cottage from plans she found in a magazine. Edna lived several years in her one bedroom cottage before marrying her husband, Lewis Hawthorne, in 1964. They later built a lovely house on the same property overlooking the lake where they lived until Lewis passed away two years ago. They never had any children of their own, but with marriage, Edna became a loving member of the Hawthorne clan attending all family gatherings with her husband. She especially enjoyed hearing about recent marriages, births and viewing family photos always asking how everyone was doing. After her husband died, his two nephews, John and David Hawthorne; three nieces, Emily Harvey, Meryl Rougeaux and Elizabeth Schierman continued the loving support along with Lewis's grandniece, Rachel Hawthorne, who always found time to take her great aunt to hair appointments & shopping after she gave up driving at age 89. Edna also cherished a 40 year friendship with her neighbor Julie Costin, meeting and exchanging family news with each other at their mailboxes on Long Lake Drive.

After retirement, Edna and Lewis, became interested in Genealogy spending many hours researching their families. In 1996, Edna and Lewis enjoyed a trip escorted by her husband's nephew John, to England and Ireland where they did Genealogy research. In addition, Edna enjoyed gardening with her husband and canning their produce. Edna was into composting, conservation of water and recycling before it became common. Edna was known for burying her trash, using make shift rain barrels and reusing plastic containers. Coming from a humble background, Edna didn't waste anything. She also turned her original cottage and another house into rentals and managed them right up until she moved into Woodland Assistance Living after her husband died in 2012. Due to Edna and Lewis's frugal life style, she was able to gift sizable donations to many organizations including local schools, the Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

Edna's quiet loving manner and sharp wit were a joy to all. She was preceded in death by her husband Lewis and her three brothers Stanley, Burl and Dale Bicknell. Her surviving family members include niece, Judy Bicknell Karpinski, Colorado; cousin Gary Bicknell, Seattle; cousins, Ethel Hansen and Marlene Delmue, Utah; cousin, Dave Kibler, New Mexico; cousin, Manley Dahl, Lynnwood, WA.

A visitation will be held from 10:00 AM-11:00 AM on Friday, April 11, 2014 at Mills & Mills Funeral Home, 5725 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater, WA 98512, followed by a graveside service at 12:00 PM, Oddfellows Cemetery, Tumwater, WA. A celebration of life reception will follow the service at 3113 Wilderness Dr SE, Olympia, WA