H.G. Hawthorne

H.G. Hawthorne, Jr, 93, former resident of Natchitoches for almost 50 years, passed away December 19, 2016 in Temple, TX with his family by his side. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, January 14, 2017 at the First United Methodist Church, Crossroads Sanctuary, in Natchitoches. Visitation begins at 1:30 PM; Service at 3:00 PM. HG donated his body to Texas A & M Health Science; his remains will be placed in Memory Lawn Cemetery in Natchitoches. He was born November 27, 1923, in Alexandria, LA… the only child of H.G. Hawthorne, Sr. & Bettie McVey Hawthorne, & grandson of Methodist Minister J. T. McVey & Mrs. Flora McVey; also grandparents: the Monroe Hawthorne’s of Provencal. He attended LSU; moved to Natchitoches & graduated from Northwestern State College in 1944 with a BS in Business Administration. Survivors are Mary, his wife of 65 years & their 4 Daughters: Sherrie Phipps/Larry, Sugar Land, TX, Camille & Nanette Hawthorne, Temple, TX, Cecile Allen/Steve, Austin, TX; daughter-in-law, Kay Long, Shreveport; 5 Grandchildren: Jason Phipps/Mary Ellen, Sugar Land, TX, Whitney Shanks/Thomas, Austin, TX, Taylor Bettis, Austin, TX & Hunter Bettis, Lincoln, IL; and his 4-legged granddaughter Sissy, Temple, TX; 3 Great Grandchildren: Parker Shanks, Austin, TX, and Lucie & Grace Phipps, Sugar Land, TX. Also special to him was Sue Kennedy. Preceding him in death were his parents & son, Johnny Long. In January 1945, HG joined the U.S. Navy & completed his enlistment in the Naval Reserves, serving for 10 years. For his WWII service, he was 1 of 4 residents at the William Courtney VA Home in Temple selected for the Honor Flight Austin to Washington D.C. to visit the War Memorials, in May 2016. After returning home from WWII, HG continued to work at Natchitoches Lumber Yard, eventually becoming part owner. Later he became a partner in Custom Builders, until his retirement in 1988. Upon retiring, he & Mary moved to Texas & summered in New Wilmington, PA, to travel between the Girls & the Grands. They especially loved watching all of the Grands play in many ballgames; when in town, they never missed a game. H.G. had a wide variety of interests especially riding Harley Motorcycles with the Club he helped form in 1948 & hunting, preferably with a bow, as it was more challenging; most any ball sport, locksmithing, scuba diving, & water skiing, which he taught their kids & many of their friends. He loved helping others; family, friends & co-workers of the Girls benefitted, from him building shelves to fixing locks. HG was also a member of the Moose Lodge, serving many years as Secretary/Treasurer & as Governor. He touched many lives & will be greatly missed by all. The family would like to thank the staff of the Courtney Home, Memory Support Care Unit, D Hall who gave their Dad care & comfort during his 1 ½ years there. A special thanks to Dale Stough & Chardelle Canterbury of Hospice Compassus these last few months, as well as Bobbi, Lena, Lisa, Debra, Pam, & Sammy of the Courtney Home & to all for his very poignant “Final Salute” send-off, draped in the American Flag, after he passed. A Memorial Service was also held, January 6, 2017 at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, TX, with a U.S. Navy Honorable Funeral Detail & presentation of the Flag to Mary. In memory of H.G., donations may be made to Honor Flight Austin at www.honorflightaustin.org or The Northwestern State University Watson Memorial Library.