Wilhelmina "Willa" Hawkins' Obituary
Wilhelmina Hawkins, age 93, of Grand Haven went to be with her Lord on Wednesday, March 21, 2007. Willa had been a resident of a local care facility for the past seven years. Willa’s parents, Wilhelm and Joshina (Mooy) Benton, emigrated from the Netherlands to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where Willa was born on a homestead on May 25, 1913.
As a child she moved to the Detroit area, and she grew up in Mount Clemens, Michigan. She married Robert Hawkins on August 27, 1938, in Detroit, and he preceded her in death on May 5, 1997. Willa graduated from Eastern Michigan University and taught school in Grandville, Roseville, and East Detroit before retiring to Dundee, Michigan. She was a resident of Grand Haven for 12 years. Willa was an avid gardener and loved to tend to her ornamental trees and flower gardens.
She is survived by her daughter, Carol (Mort) Rahimi of Evanston, IL; her son, Bruce (Carole) Hawkins of Grand Haven; 6 grandchildren: Mina Rahimi (Gavin Coll), Soussan (Chris) Estep, Kimia (Drew) Watton, Troy (Carin) Hawkins, Tara (Jared) Kram, and Cyrus Rahimi; and great-grandchildren Chandler, Dawson, and Jasmine Estep. In addition to her husband, Robert, Willa was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters: Bertha Founier and Joshina “Peggy” Powell, and a brother, William Benton, Jr.
A service will be held 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14, 2007, at the United Methodist Church of the Dunes in Grand Haven with Rev. Daniel Duncan officiating. Interment will be in Spring Lake Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hospice of North Ottawa Community, http://www.noch.org/hospice.html, the American Heart Association, or Simarron Residence Assisted Living Center in Grand Haven. Share memories with the family at their online guest book at www.vbkfuneralhome.com.
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