Benjamin F. Hawkins Jr. was born October, 22 1928 in Leachville, Arkansas to Josie Callie (Milligan) Hawkins and Benjamin F. Hawkins Sr. He passed away very peacefully on July 20, 2013 in Auburn, Washington, where he had lived in skilled nursing care at Canterbury House since April 2012 . He had late stage Alzheimer's and other medical conditions requiring full time care. The staff at Canterbury were wonderful to him and he made many friends there. Ben had complete peace as he knew he was going to see his Savior, Jesus Christ.
Ben joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in the fall of 1944 and served approx 3 yrs. in Japan during the occupation by Allied Forces. He was a WWII veteran and was very proud of his service to his country. Once back in the States, he used the G.I. Bill to go to technical college and study broadcast engineering and servicing public address systems. In 1952 he married Marybeth (Schubert) Hawkins of Colorado Springs, CO and she is the mother of his 3 children. They were married about 25 yrs. then were divorced. Their daughter Deborah was born in 1954, daughter Brenda in 1955 and son Mark in 1958. Ben was an amazing father and always strove to give his kids the many things and blessings he had done without as a child, growing up as 1 of 7 children, during the depression in Arkansas. Ben was also married to Lynn. A (Hawkins) Seulean for 4 years then they were divorced.

Ben spent many years as a regional sales manager for the Thomas Organ Co. and Vox guitars and amplifiers. He loved people and was extremely outgoing so this career suited him well. Ben had many hobbies and was a real lover of life. In his later years he enjoyed traveling around the west coast as well as into NV and AZ in his large RV trailer as his full time home. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping with his family when they were young. He also enjoyed water skiing, snow skiing as well as basketball.

He is survived by daughter Deborah & her husband Sky Nelson of Redding CA and their 3 grown children, Luke Nelson , Dylan Nelson , and Kalika (Nelson) Good and her husband Chris of Reno NV, and a brand new great-granddaughter Kalei J. Good, born June 29, 2013. He is also survived by his son Mark Hawkins of southern Calif. and daughter Brenda and her husband Gary Hubbard of Auburn WA. Ben had been living in Bakersfield CA when he was put into nurs. care in Sept 2011 and Brenda flew down to bring him to Auburn to live at Canterbury House so he could be closer to family and so she and Gary could manage his care.

He attended Northwest Church in Federal Way WA with Brenda and Gary and loved to read the Bible and sing worship music. He had a Stephen Minister (lay chaplain) from NW Church twice a month and it was a big highlight for him.