Roger Hawthorne

Roger Lee Hawthorne was born December 13, 1928, in Giltner, Nebraska, the first child of Clarence and Nellie Hawthorne. He died April 30, 2014, in Hastings, with his wife, Mary, and daughter, Becky, at his side. He was 85 years of age.

Service will be Saturday, May 3, 2014; 3:00 P.M. at Butler Volland Chapel, Hastings with Rev. Dr. Berke Landrum officiating. Private family burial will be at a later date. Visitation will be Friday, May 2, 2014; 1:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. with family present 5:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. Visitation will also be Saturday, May 3, 2014; 9:00 A.M. until service time at the funeral home.

Roger married Mary Alice McClurg June 27, 1949. The couple would have been married 65 years at the beginning of this summer.

Roger is survived by his wife, Mary; his sisters, Carol (Dan) Mills of Plano, Texas, and Nancy Hawthorne of Eugene, Oregon; his brother, Billy (Pam) Hawthorne of Albuquerque, New Mexico, his children, Daniel McGibbon(Blythe) Hawthorne, Ellensburg, WA; , Deborah Sue (Tom) Wagner, Billings, MT; Barbara Lee (Rod) Conner, Antioch, CA; Timothy Mac (Cris) Hawthorne, North Ogden, UT; Rebecca Jo (Terry) Gerber, Hastings, NE; Jill Ann (Mark) Haw, Sacramento, CA, and Kent Jay (Tess) Hawthorne, Hampton, VA. He loved being called Granddad by his 16 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Nellie Hawthorne, and his brothers Richard Hawthorne and Larry Hawthorne, and his grandson, Joshua McGibbon Hawthorne.

During his lifetime Roger pursued a number of interests in order to earn a living, from farming to sales, and wrapped up his work life with a 20-plus year career as an over-the-road trucker. His work never defined Roger; if anything, his family - and the game of golf - inspired his passion and drive.

Roger was a loving but stern father, as those offspring who felt the clamp of his huge hand on their knee during an interminable, and therefore restlessness-inducing, sermon can attest. He was also an involved father whether it be scholarship or citizenship, standing up to bullies or just "standing up straight!" He taught every one of his children to hunt and the memory of those early, cold fall mornings when the hunters would gather at a local café before heading out to the fields are with every one of his children to this day.

The list of things we loved about Roger is long but at the heart of the matter, he was a heck of a guy and we will miss him.

Happy trails, Dad, 'til we meet again.