William Hawthorn

Bill was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on July 22nd, 1940 to father Jesse Hawthorn and mother Ella Amelia Hawthorn (Gerster). Bill was well loved as a young man by all in the neighborhood; most nights you would find “Hoppy” (as he was nicknamed by his friends due to his love of Hopalong Cassidy) in Eaton Park with the Hillcrest mob. He met the love of his life, Judy, at Bethel Park High School. On their second date to Eaton Park, Bill told Judy that he wanted to spend his life with her, and from that moment on Bill and Judy spent every day together for the next 61 years. Bill loved dancing to 50’s music, hotrod cars and wrestling; he could often be found at the wrestling club down the street or watching a match on TV. At the age of 18, Bill decided to enlist in the service and served 4 years in the army, one year in Vietnam as an aircraft mechanic.

After returning home from the service, Bill was greeted by his first born son, William. They lived briefly in Georgia where Barbra was born, finally landing in Connecticut where Shari was born. Bill worked for many years as a bus driver, and then started “Bill’s Painting”; a full service painting business. Bill worked endless hours to provide a comfortable life for his family. Family often gathered at their Forest Ave home in North Haven, where they played cards, shared meals and enjoyed time together.

Following retirement, Bill & Judy moved to Fort Myers, FL into their beloved trailer full of pictures, memories and faith. Bill and Judy found comfort in their church community, and spent their days enjoying each others company.

Bill is survived by his wife, Judy Hawthorn; three children Bill and Pam Hawthorn, Robin Hawthorn, Barbara and Bob Jakowenko, Shari and Carl Wilson; nine grandchildren Dan, Stephanie, Jessie, Christina, Emma, Kimberly, Nick, Carleigh, Brendon; four great-grandchildren Orin, Max, Mollie and Zoe. Bill was preceded in death by his three siblings.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org/donate), an organization dedicated to helping veterans and educating children about 9/11.

A service for Bill will be held at Cape Christian Chapel (2110 Chiquita Blvd, Cape Coral, FL) on Sunday, February 12th at 3PM. To attend via zoom, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81882203318 or meeting ID: 818 8220 3318