Obituary of John A. Hawkes, Sr.

John A. Hawkes Sr. of South Orange, N.J., passed away on Dec. 26, 2013. Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral service at Elmwood United Presbyterian Church, 135 Elmwood Ave., East Orange, N.J., on Monday, Dec. 30, at 11 a.m. Interment is at Rosedale Cemetery, Montclair, N.J. Visitation will be held at Preston Funeral Home, 153 South Orange Ave., South Orange, on Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. For more information, or to send condolences, please visit prestonfuneralhome.net. John Adams Hawkes Sr. was born on Dec. 19, 1926, in Baltimore, Md. He was one of six children raised in Upperville, Va. At the age of 18, John enlisted in the United States Army and served with pride in World War II and the Korean War as a paratrooper. After he was honorably discharged, John moved to New Jersey, where he attended Farleigh Dickinson University and met Mattie Lee Green. He married his loving wife on Nov. 25, 1956. To that union, four children were born. His wife of 23 years predeceased him in 1979. Throughout his career, John worked at General Motors, Western Electric and AT&T. After retiring, he acquired a position with the United States Department of Defense as a quality control inspector for 15 years. John volunteered with the rescue squad of South Orange and was a faithful member of Elmwood Presbyterian Church. He was also a distinguished member of the 100 Black Men of New Jersey. John met Emma A. Massey in 1984 and they were companions for nearly 30 years. John departed us peacefully on Dec. 26, 2013, at the age of 87. He leaves to cherish his memory his children, John A. Hawkes Jr., Lori Hawkes, Brian Hawkes, and Madelyn Bradley; a son-in-law, Richard Bradley; companion, Emma Massey and her daughter, Ramelle Massey. .