Michael William Hawkins

Mike's heart filled every room that he entered. His fun and loving spirit never struggled to put a smile on someone's face with his countless stories and jokes. He saw each moment as a new opportunity to find laughter and joy. These attributes created an incredibly special relationship with his daughter, Alayna. She was his world. He was her chief joke teller, teacher, but most of all, friend. They loved going to the movies, getting ice cream, sitting by the pool, and taking goofy pictures together. His role as a father was the most important job he had ever been given, and he took that to heart--day in and day out.

Mike spent the past 20 years developing and crafting his trade of installing carpet. He embraced a great work-life balance because work was not his life. He loved to golf, watch the Buckeyes & Browns play football, bowl, play pool, and fish. No matter the activity, he strived to master it, and he was no stranger to winning. Just this past summer him, his dad and good friends won a golf tournament together. As a child his grandma and grandpa Hawkins introduced him to his favorite place in the world, Matlacha, Florida. A place where childhood visits to see his grandparents turned to frequent trips as an adult with his closest friends to fish--even catching a shark.

Mike touched so many people's lives, and he was taken too soon from us, yet his legacy lives on in all those he touched: his kindness, laughter, joy, jokes, stories, but above all his love.

Michael, Mike, Daddy, son, big brother, Hawk, you are so loved and will forever be missed tremendously. We know you'll be watching over us as you sit at the best fishing spot you've ever been. Just grab a few extra fishing poles because we'll be there soon. Until then, we love and miss you.