Peter Hawthorne, Jr.

He lived his more than 93 years on earth with laughter on his lips and love flowing from his heart. We miss him dearly but trust he is now in Heaven, safe in the arms of the Lord.

Peter Hawthorne, Jr. was born March 14, 1926, in Houston, Texas, the second oldest child and oldest son of Peter Hawthorne, Sr. and Rachel Hawthorne. He was soon nicknamed “Bubba” and grew up among a boisterous family of one brother and six sisters.

He joined the Army and would later regale his children with tales of derring do during World War II. He met the love of his life, Frances Estella Watson, at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, MO.

“He had a wonderful sense of humor and was so confident about everything,” she later wrote.

He told the story, over and over again, of traveling to meet her family, bumping over rough roads and a gurgling creek to arrive at the farm in the small town of Eolia, MO. Her family became his family, and his family became her family.

After college graduation they married, in the summer of 1951, and moved to Des Moines to work for The Iowa Bystander newspaper, which served black residents. But Peter soon left as advertising manager to work for the Post Office, or the “Ol’ P. O.” as he called it. There, he sorted mail with the speed and precision of an aircraft. He rose to become a supervisor who would bring roses he raised in his backyard and his famous barbecue ribs to co-workers.

Creativity threaded his life. His joy in growing roses started with a gift of a rose bush, and he shared that gift many times over by surprising his wife with a bouquet of flowers named after one of their children, or by snipping off a bloom from his rainbow garden to wear in his lapel or give away to friends and colleagues.

He roamed among his roses, at peace, scratching poems on envelopes or pieces of paper he pulled out of his pocket. His signature poem, A Rose in Bloom, was among dozens he penned over his lifetime.

He had an “unmistakable, boisterous laugh that embodied his sense of humor.” He told stories and jokes and laughed so loud the rumble overtook a room, igniting others’ laughter and “shhhs.” He thought any joke worth telling was worth telling over and over again, and jokes like “who dat who said who dat” are among his legacy.

He was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, moving from the pews to the pulpit to preach, lead prayers or sing with vigor. His tenor rang over a room as he read The Lord’s Prayer and other passages from the Bible, whether in church or at the dinner table.

He and his wife purchased a house that was home for six decades, choosing to stay in their neighborhood and give back in numerous ways while raising four children to value God, intelligence and humor.

After he retired in 1990 from the post office, taking memories and a lovingly drawn caricature of he and his team with him, he continued to serve the community as he had done for years, starting with Jack and Jill, the organization for black families. He mentored young people in schools and served in Toastmasters, where his longtime gift for gab earned an award as Distinguished Toastmaster. He and his wife, Frances, served as a King and Queen of Juneteenth and volunteered in the election campaigns of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

It was classic Peter Hawthorne, Jr., embracing life at hyper speed. A stroke in 2012 slowed his physical abilities but not his spirit.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Frances E. Hawthorne; sister, Martha V. Clark; son Victor Duane Hawthorne; son Vance Derek Hawthorne and daughter-in-law, Lynelle; daughter Venita Hawthorne James and son-in-law, Daryl; daughter Valerie Diane Hawthorne; five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and numerous family and friends.

His legacy of love lives on.