Richard (Dick) Hawley passed away peacefully November 3, 2021, after a brief illness.

The days prior were filled with pontoon rides with his wife and two of his kids and enjoying the home he built on the Apple River nearly 60 years ago. Dick was a born adventurer, scholar, and poet. His second grade teacher noted, “Dick is a bit of a tease, with a good sense of humor…likes to read, is good at spelling and numbers…and makes very wise judgements.” These attributes he carried proudly throughout his life.

Born in Traverse City, Michigan, on August 22, 1935, Dick graduated as Salutatorian of the Ravenna, Michigan, Class of 1953. Later, his speaking skills served him well as Treasurer for the Baldwin Toastmasters Club. He joined the Air Force, trained at the Sampson AF base in New York, then in Ground Electronics in Boulder, Colorado, and stationed in Osceola, Wisconsin. He married, took a job with Bendix Corporation on a NASA project that sent him to Santiago, Chile, then to Beatty, Nevada, where he was an electronics technician on the X-15 project, then to East Grand Forks, Minnesota. As his family grew, he settled in Amery, Wisconsin, where Dick worked as a technician, quality manager, and production manager for companies such as Specialty Coating Systems, DMA, Compac, Franklin Signal, Nova Tran, ElectroCraft and Fabri-Tek. He retired at age 62 and started his own engineering services consulting business. He spent his spare time sailing, traveling to visit his kids in Arizona and Oregon, visiting the Virgin Islands, and working around his home.

Dick had deep love for family, boating, woodworking, travel, geography, and adventure stories. He taught his four children to waterski, canoe, and swim. In 1990, he joined his eldest daughter, her new husband, and granddaughter for his first blue water sailing trip on their 37’ boat, sailing from the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound, down the Washington coast, to Portland, Oregon. Dick owned several sailboats. Whenever he could recruit crew from friends or family, he entered a race or towed a boat to Lake Superior for a few days of sailing. At age 69, he embarked on his 26’ sailboat on the “Great Loop” down the Mississippi River from Stillwater, Minnesota, cutting across the Tennessee River to Florida. His youngest son or a brother joined him on some legs of the journey, but most of the three-month trip he accomplished single-handedly. He could answer geography questions as well or better than many Jeopardy contestants. At 52 he went skydiving with his two sons. He planned to go again for his 80th birthday; only the weather stopped him.

In 1956 Dick married his first wife, Violet (Vi) Weigelt. They had four children, Vicki (Victoria) Hawley, Mitchell (Mitch) Hawley, Vincent (Vince) Hawley, and Misty Monette. Dick and Vi lost Mitch in 1987. Victoria, Vince, and Misty each married and provided Dick and Vi with five grandchildren, Laura Schmidt, Alex and Mariah Hawley, and Aimee and Marc Monette. Dick and Vi divorced in 1981. In 1993, he married the woman who would become his best friend, Eva Johnson (née Anton). His family expanded to include Eva’s grown sons Bruce and Barry, their children and grandchildren, her twin sister Iva, and sisters Peggy and Patty. The backyard on the river in Amery was home to many celebrations, including snowmobile parties with work friends, Dick and Eva’s wedding, family reunions, and, most recently, Dick’s 80th birthday party in 2015 with 99 friends and family.

Dick is survived by wife Eva, three children, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, brother John Hawley, sister Onalee Paddock, loving nieces and nephews, and the wide and wonderful family Eva brought into his life. He was predeceased by brothers Lee and Phillip Hawley. A celebration of life visitation is Friday, November 12, 2021, from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Williamson-White Funeral Home in Amery, Wisconsin. Please bring a favorite memory of Dick to share in person or write one on a note and leave it in the basket by the guest book. Dick’s ashes will be interred in Amery, with scattered memories in the Mississippi River, the property he loved on the river, and Antarctica where he would have loved to go. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to the Amery Public Library Fund (amerylibrary.org).

Arrangements were made with the Williamson-White Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Amery.

Last Update: Nov 09, 2021 12:27 pm CST