Harold Beatty Hawkey

Harold Beatty Hawkey, 86, passed peacefully on Thursday, March 31, 2011 in Fullerton, California, with his son at his side. Harold was born December 28, 1924 to Helen DeEtta (Beatty) and Leslie Joseph Hawkey in Wagner, South Dakota. Raised on a farm on Sioux land outside of Wagner, South Dakota, Harold and his seven siblings attended a rural school. Harold often shared memories of farm life: riding his horse to school, helping his father work the land, We grew grain and raised cattle and sheep. In 1942, Harold graduated from Wagner High School. Soon after, Harold served as a private in the United States Army, in Japan at the end of WWII and later in Korea. Through a blind date set up by close friends, Harold Hawkey met Charlotte Mae Opstedahl in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They married on September 10, 1949 at the First Lutheran Church of Sherman, South Dakota. While living in Sioux Falls, Harold worked for Duggan Freight Lines and Charlotte, an Army Corp Nurse, worked at the R.C. Johnson Veterans Hospital. The couple resided in Sioux Falls until 1953, when they relocated to Garden Grove, California to raise their sons Mark and David. For nearly three decades, Harold worked for Hughes Aircraft. In February 1987, Harold retired from his position of Numerical Control Computer Programmer from Hughes Aircraft - Ground Systems Group in Fullerton, California. Harold also served as an instructor at Fullerton College, and was an active member of the Boosters for CSUF Titan Baseball. Papa also taught his grandchildren to fish, ride a horse, jitterbug, and to play cards and sports. In June 1990, Harold and Charlotte moved to Paradise, California. Both were active members of St. Pauls Lutheran Church in Garden Grove and Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Paradise, California. Due to declining health, the couple returned to Brea, California in 2002 to live closer to their son and family. Harolds family and friends affectionately remember him for his family commitment, steadfast strength of body and spirit, guiding hand, engaging stories, love of animals, as well as his spirit of adventure. Harolds wife, Charlotte Mae Hawkey, preceded him in death. Survivors include: son, Mark (Patricia) Hawkey of Brea, CA; son, David (Karen) Hawkey of San Rafael, CA; and grandchildren: Kari Mae Hawkey of Huntington Beach, CA; Megan Marie (Justin) Greene of Irvine, CA; David Hawkey of San Jose, CA; Daniel Hawkey of San Rafael, CA; Sara Hawkey of San Rafael, CA; and Aaron Hawkey of San Rafael, CA. Services will be held on Friday, April 15, 2010 at 10:00 am at McAuley & Wallace Mortuary in Fullerton, California. Burial will follow at Arlington National Cemetery in Riverside, CA, where Harold will be laid to rest next to his wife, Charlotte, on a quiet, grassy hill under a tree.