Bobby Hawkins departed this version of life and reality on August 3rd, 2023, at Mary Washington Hospital after several years of dealing with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). His perseverance, endurance, and determination to push forward despite the steady debilitating lung disease was an example of how he lived his life, a fighter to the very end.

Bobby, as he was called and known to most, was born in Farmville, Virginia in 1942. Interestingly enough, Bobby had two birth dates (that's right, two!) on record. December 23, 1942, and January 12, 1943, the latter he didn't know about until years later when he and his first wife, Mildred Culley Hawkins (deceased) applied for a marriage license and had to get his birth certificate to do so. Faced with the choice of two birth dates, Bobby chose the former, December 23, 1942, as that was the only one that he knew prior. While this may seem mildly humorous, it is an element of the storied tapestry of his life that was so interwoven with the time period he was born into and the rural climate of his environment – African American records were often skittish and not reliable because of the nature of being black in the post Civil War era. In a short 14 years, Bobby's childhood and schooling would be upended when in 1951 Robert Russa Moton High School led protests to better the conditions of the school, requesting that the school board improve the facility as comparable to white schools, preceding Brown vs. The Board of Education, and ultimately several years later instead of allowing integration, the entire Prince Edward County School system decided to close the doors of all schools. Black families were forced to either educate through their churches or let their children go out and find work. Bobby Hawkins ended up going to work and at the age of 15/16. He found a job working on the railroad, him and his older brother Howard. A job that paid better came along and Bobby got the opportunity to travel north to cut lumber with a friend of his who was also working on the railroad. It was this journey that led Bobby Hawkins to Fredericksburg, Virginia where he would ultimately settle and start a life, meeting lifelong friends, eventually his first wife, Mildred C. Hawkins, and beginning a family (from the union with Mildred C. Hawkins, they had a son, Brian Louis Hawkins).

But Bobby continued in the theme of his life, working hard for his family, becoming a heavy equipment operator, teaching himself how to operate every machine, making himself a valuable worker and asset to both companies that employed him, Pettibone and Johnson Construction as well as English Construction. Bobby Hawkins worked from the time he was 15 to late into his 60s, admirably never taking a sick day. Bobby Hawkins was a fighter, and he fought to provide for his family without complaint. This would continue to be the way he lived life, pushing forward despite circumstances, and once again he did the same when his first wife, Mildred, took sick and eventually passed away. Instead of cowering and caving, Bobby found new life with his second wife, Rachel Clay, of whom he partnered with in his latter years. Early on in their marriage, they traveled some, going to different concerts and bingos and events. It wasn't until he was diagnosed with COPD that this began to slow down. Even still, as Bobby fought against COPD, Rachel was by his side with his son Brian to assist.

Bobby Hawkins "lived life to the fullest," a declaration that he often made to many, especially his son. Bobby Hawkins rode motorcycles, got into fights, gambled, cursed, blessed, smoked, drank, quit drinking, quit smoking, taught himself how to operate heavy equipment, worked on cars, sang in the church choir, beat Kidney Cancer, survived the death of his first wife, put his son through college, and remarried a partner that would be with him until his last breath. Bobby Hawkins, despite obstacles and uncontrollable circumstances, always fought to protect and to provide and in this his legacy is secured.

Bobby Hawkins leaves behind to survive him a wife, Rachel Clay; a son, Brian Louis Hawkins (Katie); a step-daughter, Tonya Adams; three grandchildren, Noah Hawkins, Eli Hawkins, and Olivia Hawkins; a step-grandaughter, Rachelle D. Adams; two sisters, Mattie Johnson and Lucy Carter; one brother, Johnnie Louis Johnson; ten nieces, Lisa Shelton (Gary), Aretha Lignon (James), Brenda Hawkins, Christine Hawkins, Latasha Woods (Cameron), Peggy Parran (Antoine), Sandy Alsop, Mariealana "Tay" Johnson (Neil) , Tina Bundy, Robbin Edwards (Marvin), four nephews, Henry Hawkins, Luther Scott, Alton Scott, and Jimmy Scott; and a host of great nieces, great nephews, cousins, and friends; also two loving dogs, Delilah and Tito.

Bobby Hawkins will be missed, but he will live on in the hearts and minds of those who love him.

A memorial service will be held at A.L. Bennett and Son Funeral Home on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, at 2:00 PM.