William J Hawker Sr.

William John Hawker Sr., age 56, of Lake Crystal died Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital in Mankato after a courageous battle with cancer.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 18, 2009 at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Mankato with Fr. Don Rauscher officiating. Visitation will be held from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on Saturday at the church. Burial will be held in Holy Family Catholic Cemetery, Lake Crystal. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention, or donor's choice. Lake Crystal Mortuary is handling the arrangements.

Bill was born on October 28, 1952 in Mankato to Harold and Rosella (Drummer) Hawker. He was united in marriage to Debra Krummel on August 24, 1974. He served in the US Army from 1972 until his honorable discharge in 1974. Bill was a loyal employee of Crystal Valley Co-op in Lake Crystal for 37 years and always had a "friendly" comment for his customers. He is well known in Lake Crystal and generously gave his time to youth sports and organizations such as the Loon Lake Recreation and the Lake Crystal Legion Post. He was a summer baseball umpire and coached many local children in little league baseball and basketball. He was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Lake Crystal, where he served as an usher, and pastoral counsel.

Bill enjoyed Saturday morning soup at Grandma Hawker's with his siblings and their families. He brought a great sense of humor to the table. Family get-togethers always consisted of laughter, good food, and cards. He was an avid sports fan and had a competitive nature; often joining a game of pick-up basketball and football or volleyball at July 4th picnics. He traveled to watch LCWM and Gopher Football games with his crew of friends and then would try their luck at the casino. Fishing was a pastime he shared with his sons and son-in-law; and took a yearly fishing trip to a cabin up north with his brothers. He was blessed with 5 children, and 9 grandchildren; with whom he enjoyed spending time grilling out on the weekends, going bowling or trying to beat them at poker.

Bill is survived by his wife Deb; sons, Bill Jr. (Lori), Jeff (Crystal), Bradley (Ariane); daughter Amy (Nikko Segal); grandchildren, Jordan, Breanna, Madison, Carter, Hayden, Austin, Alayna, and Makynna; mother, Rosella "Sally"; siblings, Larry (Bev Hanson), Gary (Sharon), Jerome (Marsha Frank), Mary Lou (Tom) Karels, Diane (Mark) Frank, Pat (Tim) Frank, John (Julie Larson), Dan (Karen Storms), Nancy (Larry) Bryant and Mike (Judy Sieberg).

Bill was preceded in death by his father, Harold; son, Adam; granddaughter, Hailey; and an infant brother.