John Hawley

John Hawley was born March 25, 1934, in Pueblo, Colorado to parents Daylett Francis and Helen Marie (Morrissey) Hawley.

After graduating high school, John joined the US Marine Corps, where he studied electronics. After his service he returned to Pueblo and started college at the University of Colorado. In 1956 he met the love of his life, Donnie, and they were married in August of 1959.

He graduated with civil engineering and business degrees in 1961, and accepted a job at LTV in Grand Prairie, Texas. He and Donnie moved to Farmer’s Branch and in 1965, they adopted their first daughter, Shannon. John had discovered Judo and Aikido while in the Marines, and he started a dojo where he could train and mentor students. Soon after, the family moved to Clear Lake City, TX, where John worked for Philco Ford and with NASA on the Apollo 8 project. In 1968, John and Donnie welcomed their second daughter, Erin. John’s career path led them to Plano, the “final” landing spot, where he worked for Rockwell International as VP of Mergers and Acquisitions for the Asian division.

While with Rockwell he traveled extensively to Europe and the Far East. During that time, he was introduced to a Japanese art form: netsuke. It became his passion and he started collecting and studying and learned as much as he could, and eventually became President of The Netsuke Society. Due to his roles of President and collector, he and Donnie had many opportunities to attend conventions in several American cities and foreign countries. John loved to spend time with this family, which included grandchildren and great-grandchildren, attending birthday parties, holidays, and other family functions. John was a devout Catholic, husband, father, and friend. He was an adventurer, lifelong student, and an avid fan of the TV show Survivor. He will be missed.

John is survived by his loving wife Donnie Hawley; daughters Shannon Parsons and her husband Tom, Erin Reardon and her husband Steve; grandchildren Alyssa Parsons and her husband Allen, Jordan Hinton and his wife Danielle, Kaitlin Lyon and her husband Kevin and William Hawley Reardon; great grandchildren Allen James Parsons, Jr., Theodore John Parsons, Emory Marie Lyon, Myles Matthew Lyon, Aubrey Marie Hinton and Jethro Lee Hinton and many loving nieces, nephews and friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents, and sisters LaVerne Johnson and Helen Thomas.

A memorial mass will be held Monday, February 14, 2022, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2700 W Spring Creek Pkwy, Plano, Texas with The Rev. Bruce Bradley, The Rev. Monsignor Leon Duesman and The Rev. Monsignor Henry Petter. If you wish to view the service via webcast, please visit: https://youtu.be/TQrwNVQ1los

John will be laid to rest at the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Columbarium immediately following the mass.

If desired, contributions may be made in John’s name to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church or to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, https://www.stjude.org or Tunnel to Towers Foundation https://t2t.org/donate