Rodney Hepburn Hawkins died peacefully in his home surrounded by his family and pets on June 22, 2022, in Williams Lake, British Columbia, after a two year battle with cancer.
Rod was born in Claremont, New Hampshire, on April 3, 1944. He attended Williston Academy, for five years. He always credited Williston with giving him an excellent education and many memorable times including playing soccer and performing as part of the choir. Some of the friendships he made there lasted a lifetime. He never forgot the opportunity afforded by Williston when he was selected as an exchange student to Germany in 1963. He lived a year with the Rau family and kept in contact with them over the years. A Rau grandson spent a year living with the Hawkins family in Williams Lake, as an exchange student in 1996-1997.
In 1964, when Rod was sailing to the United States, returning from his exchange, his ship made a stop in Galway Bay, Ireland. He met his beloved Sandra, when she boarded the ship. They were married in 1965.
Rod attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, from 1964-1968 and graduated with a degree in German literature. Just before graduation, he was surprised to be recruited by the CIA, but turned them down.
In 1969, Rod and Sandra moved to Canada and happily made it their home. They first lived in Vancouver, where Rod attended law school at the University of British Columbia. He was called to the Bar in 1974.
Rod and Sandra moved to Williams Lake, British Columbia, in 1975, where Rod opened and ran a Legal Aid Office for seventeen years. He then went on to work as Crown Counsel. He was appointed Administrative Crown and supervised prosecutions in Williams Lake and a vast area around it for twenty years. He reluctantly retired in 2012.
Benefits of retiring included daily walks with his beloved golden retrievers; planting even more trees and lilacs on his property; kayaking and other recreation the lake offers; trips to Scandinavia, Iceland, Germany, and the U.S.A.; time for reading the many books he collected in his library; researching and putting together an extensive family tree; and, most recently, bee keeping.
Volunteer work included serving on the Board of Directors of the Child Development Centre, serving as an advisor to the Williams Lake Community Council for Restorative Justice, teaching law courses in Elder College, and helping to get the community’s Indigenous Court up and running.
The family wishes to honor Rod’s memory by quietly spending time together, being grateful for the time they had with Rod. If you wish to honour Rod’s memory consider planting a lilac, giving a dog some special attention, and, perhaps, raising a glass of wine.