Timothy Franklin Hawkins

Timothy Franklin (Tim) Hawkins, age 85, of Ada, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, following a short battle with lung cancer. He is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Jane Ellen (Blouw) Hawkins; son Timothy W. Hawkins of Grand Rapids; son-in-law Josh (Libby) Cole of Ada; brother Steve (Danielle) Hawkins of San Diego, Calif.; brother-in-law William (Lou) Blouw of Davis, Calif.; aunt Betty Jo (Hawkins) Trantham of Asheville, N.C.; grandchildren Gabriel, Samantha and David Hawkins, and Madeline, Sydney and Charlie Cole; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by loving parents Walker Vance and Eulah Mary Elizabeth (Blackwell) Hawkins, sister-in-law Mary DeJong and beloved daughter Kathleen Joy Hawkins Cole.

Born March 6, 1940, in Clyde, N.C., Tim grew up surrounded by cousins and extended family in North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, before graduating from Union High School in Grand Rapids in 1958. He joined the United States Marine Corps after graduation with best friend Bob Van Eck and proudly served until 1969, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant and spending more than four years as a drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego. Bob and his wife, Bonnie, introduced Tim to the love of his life, Jane, a nurse working at Butterworth Hospital, and they were married in Grand Rapids on a snowy Friday the 13th in December of 1963. Following his discharge from the Marine Corps, Tim graduated from Michigan State University in 1973 with a B.A. in education and would remain a die-hard Spartan for the rest of his life. After a brief stint teaching at Runciman Elementary in Lowell, Tim spent the rest of his career at Alto Elementary teaching several generations of 4th and 5th grade students with long-time teaching partner and friend, Barb Schneider, before retiring in 2010. During that time, he spent many years as the president of the Lowell Education Association and was an active member of American Legion Post 528 in Alto. Tim and Jane raised their children and shared their home in Ada for more than fifty years.

Relatives and friends may visit the family on Saturday, July 26, from 1:00-2:00 PM at Reyers North Valley Chapel at 2815 Fuller Ave, NE in Grand Rapids. Visitation will be followed by a service with military honors at 2:00 PM with Pastor Dennis Gilbert officiating, followed by a luncheon.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Kent District Library Alto Branch, West Coast Drill Instructor Association (WCDIA) or Corewell Health Hospice and Palliative Care, which provided extraordinary care and comfort in the last months of Tim’s life.