Daniel Wendell Hawkins III

Daniel was born to Daniel W. Hawkins and Lois McNair Hawkins on March 23rd 1954, in New Kensington, PA

Daniel grew up in a loving family and a small community centered in Westmoreland County PA. It was a community of family, amazing friends, teachers and continuous support. If you knew Daniel`s voice you can just about hear him saying now …… “I`m just a poor country brother from the Appalachian Mountains of Western Pennsylvania!!!”…. with a big smile on his face!

Daniel is survived by Daniel Wendell Hawkins Jr and Grace Hawkins

KeAsia Danielle Hawkins (Grandchild)

Te'jion Marquez Hawkins (Grandchild)

Daniel Hawkins (Father)

Marian Merriweather-Cowan (Sister) Tootsie

Lisa Grace Hawkins-Autman (Sister) Lisa grace

Ernest Merriweather-Celeste (Nephew)

Jason Merriweather-Sharon (Nephew)

Iman Amira Autman-Jaquez (Niece) Bootie Mawn

Ian Joshua Autman (Nephew) Diggs

Isabella Amarie Jacquez (Niece) Miss B

Daniel was surrounded by his loving cousin Leonard Hawkins Jr, cousins Walter Shaw II and Patricia Shaw, Walter Shaw III and Cynthia and a host of many, many dear friends and co-workers who continued to cover him with love, smiles, food, prayers, company and laughter to the very end of his journey. Even through the toughest parts of his illness Daniel could be found on the phone laughing, sharing jokes, harassing the nurses and doctors at Sharp, talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers, laughing with Dad and Tootsie every day on the phone or convincing his friends to bring food over.

Daniel as a young child loved sports and loved to have fun. He was outstanding in little league baseball and played the saxophone. That love of sports continued into High School as well where He always excelled in academics, football, baseball, and basketball. He also became a drummer in high school, played in a community band and sang in the high school musical choir as well as the young adult choir at Mount Calvary Baptist Church. His academics and talent in sports earned Daniel a football scholarship to Clarion University College of Pennsylvania. In Daniel`s senior year of college He joined the ROTC program. He then graduated from Clarion with a Bachelor`s of Education and succeeded to officers training camp in the United States Marines in Camp Pendleton in Oceanside CA. There Daniel served 10 years as a Marine promoted from 2nd Lieutenant to Captain in his proud service.

After being honorably discharged from the marines from an ongoing knee injury from football, Daniel served years as a San Diego police officer undercover narcotics detail and ended his police career as a canine officer and retired his partner and dear friend officer canine “Ivan”, a beautiful and dedicated German Shephard who protected Him at all costs. They loved each other.

If you knew Daniel you knew that he never ever quit…his new career then started as he returned back to utilize his education degree. He landed a job teaching at ITT college of San Diego. There he found his love for computer programming and was darn good at it! Following teaching he took his computer love and knowledge to a higher level and was granted his dream job at Cubic Corporation of San Diego, also loving and extremely active at his part job at VVSD also helping to build their computer systems. His love of computer programming encouraged Daniel to complete his Master`s Degree at UCSD. From that point on Daniel served as a Cubic employee until the day that he passed on to glory and loved it there. 25 plus years! What a talent and fighter to the end. Daniel surely left us with an example of … “Never, Never Give Up” and he never did!

I could never complete His story if I didn’t mention his love for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the game of golf!! Only Steeler fans know how deep that love can get but Daniel took it to the top. Traveling to games with Hank and many other friends. Locking himself in his room for playoff games, it was bad luck to talk to non-Steeler fans before the game. Items could be heard hitting the walls and a few choice words for interceptions, fumbles, missed tackles, and bad referee calls!! He took their losses hard, yelled at them constantly throughout the game but loved the Steelers and never gave up on them. Sunday after golf had His Steeler shirt back on for the next game!

The game of golf!! Oh wow his golf buddies will be able to tell their stories much better than I will! I can just say that the love of golf truly made him smile. The preparations for tournaments during the week, the choosing of his certain clubs in the garage, all of his different golf shoes and outfits, packing up for golf weekends and sometimes even trips for the week. I can just say he would be so excited for it all! Somehow I know there is some kind of golfing going on in Heaven when Daniel arrived!

Speaking of heaven, I will have to share the most important aspect of Daniel`s life for our family. Daniel was also a child of God. He gave his lift to Christ at the age of 13 and was baptized and gave his service to Mount Calvary Baptist Church. During life sometimes we often forget about God and we attempt to go our own ways, but God never leaves or forgets about us. After illness hit hard, we began to endlessly pray for Daniel`s total healing. And as you know God truly performed many miracles over Daniel`s life and brought him home many times that we thought he wouldn’t make it. Our prayers were being answered and at the same time Daniel was slowly and consistently recommitting his life to God and he began praying with us. It was a beautiful time when we were able to pray with Him. Two weeks before his passing he finally admitted to me that he was getting tired..our hearts broke. We didn’t want to lose Him or let Him go. His last words to me were…… “Lisa Grace we gave it our best fight, didn’t we?”. He then said “Let God do what God wants to do with me, I am ready to see Grandma and Mom”.

With family by his side, his nephew Ian Joshua (Diggs) holding his hand on December 18th at 1640 Daniel Wendell Hawkins Sr went to his heavenly home. Released from all suffering and pain.

A memorial service for Daniel will be held Saturday, January 29, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Glen Abbey Chapel of the Roses, 3838 Bonita Road, Bonita, California 91902. Following the memorial service will be a celebration of life reception from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Glen Abbey Little Lodge, 3838 Bonita Road, Bonita, California 91902.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.glenabbeysandiego.net for the Hawkins family.