Lois Jeanne "Jeanne" Hawley

Lois Jeanne “Jeanne” Hawley left this world in the early morning of August 25, having lived a life filled with song, love, and laughter for more than 96 years. Born Nov. 18, 1929, in El Dorado, KS, she was an adventurous and talented child, the third of four children born to Edwin Glenn and Ruth Johnson Dick.

Jeanne’s family moved to Ottawa, KS, when she was a teenager. Upon graduation from Ottawa High School, she became a student at Ottawa University, where she studied music and vocal performance. While at the University, she met the love of her life, Bernard Hawley, whom she married in 1950. Along the way to her graduation, she had the unusual experience of taking classes taught by her father (Chemistry) and her father-in-law (English literature), both of whom were faculty members at the university.

Jeanne and her husband “Bernie” began married life in Ottawa and had two children there before moving to Chicago, where Bernie became a seminary student. When he became an intern pastor at a church in Clinton, IN, Jeanne lived in the manse next to the church with two very young children for several years while Bernie finished his studies in Chicago, only joining his family on weekends while he fulfilled his church obligations. Upon his graduation, the family moved to Severna Park, MD, where Bernie was at first the assistant and then head pastor of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church. The family added two additional children during the seven years spent in Maryland.

In 1965, the family relocated again, to Salina, Kansas, where Bernie was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church for over 20 years. Two interim appointments followed at churches in San Marino, CA, and Palm Desert, CA, before the couple retired to Surprise, AZ. There Jeanne’s considerable athletic talent made her an active, popular, and highly competitive golfer and tennis player, winning multiple club and tournament championships.

Jeanne was a supportive and long-suffering pastor’s wife, well-loved by all the congregations her husband served. For much of the time, she was also the church choir director, fulfilling the common stereotype, despite that neither she nor her husband had any such aspirations when they were first married. Jeanne was also a very talented vocal soloist and performer. Beginning as a teenager, she was a frequent soloist around town, often accompanied by her sister on the piano. As a vocal performance university student, she was featured in operas and oratorios. Later, she was a soloist for numerous weddings and funerals and both amateur and professional performances of oratorios and musicals in Indiana, Maryland, Kansas, and California. She also taught vocal technique and piano in her home for many years.

In 2009, Jeanne and Bernie moved to Lawrence, KS, to be closer to family. Bernie died in 2010, only 4 months before their 60th wedding anniversary. In addition to her husband, Jeanne was preceded in death by her son John, her brother Robert D. Dick and her two sisters, Martha Lou Elliott and Marjory A. Killingsworth.

Jeanne was a loving mother, grandmother, and friend, kind and generous, and a thoughtful and wise advisor. Despite her many talents, she was modest and supportive of the talents of others. She was down-to-earth, with a keen sense of humor. She will be enormously missed by her extended family and many friends. She is survived by her son Steve (Eileen) of Lawrence; daughter Diane (Bernie Robe), Eugene, OR; son Jim (Amy), Salina, and their children Jamie and Aaron; John’s wife Kathy Holcomb, Earlysville, VA; and the nieces and nephews she loved dearly.

The family expresses its deepest appreciation to the entire care team at Pioneer Ridge Assisted Living and Ascend Hospice Care of Lawrence, KS, who at all times treated Jeanne with love and dignity.

In lieu of flowers, please send memorial contributions to a favorite charity or to the John Hawley Memorial Fund at the University of Virginia, P.O. Box 400314, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4314 or https://www.givecampus.com/campaigns/20633/donations/new?designation=johnhawleymemorialfund&