Carol Ann Hawes

Carol Ann Hawes, 84, passed away 5 June 2023, in Rockford, Illinois. Born 24 August 1938, in Annandale, Minnesota, to William John and Clara Louise (Kuhnley) Shannon. She was the youngest of seven children. At the tender age of ten, Carol lost her father to a sudden illness. Due to her father’s passing, Carol’s mother moved her and her closest brother (her older siblings were grown and out of the home by this time) to Minneapolis where Carol finished her education at Central High School. Unbeknownst to Carol, her future husband also attended Central that same year as a freshman, while she, herself, was a senior. After graduation, Carol found employment as a Nursing Aide, a profession she loved. She also become a member of a local church. After one ordinary service in 1962, Carol met the man of her dreams, Lance Hawes, a young man fresh out of the United States Navy. She always said, “it was the uniform that did it.” In 1964, the elders of her church moved to Rockford, Illinois and Carol and Lance followed. There, she attended Salem Temple, in the old Temple Beth El building on North Main Street. On 1 July 1966 at Salem Temple Church, Carol and Lance finally wed. Carol dedicated her life to the care of others and was a proud CNA at Swedish American during her early years of marriage and later for Fairhaven Retirement Center where she was happily employed for 12 years. In later years, she was a member of Life Church in Roscoe, IL and a dedicated volunteer for 25 years, where she was loved and cherished by all who met her. In her private life, she was a prayer warrior volunteering at Stateline Pregnancy Center, now known as Willow Woman’s Center in Beloit for over 20 years. She was a proud mother and later, an even prouder grandmother. She would often say, “if I knew grandkids were so much fun, I would have had them first.”

She will be missed by those who loved her most, her husband of 56 years, Lance; her children Sarah (Antonio) Hernandez and Mark (Amie) Hawes; her grandchildren Rebecca (Hernandez)Avila, Antonio (Victoria Franklin) Hernandez Jr, Zachary (Morgan) Hernandez, Patricia (Zachary Perleberg) Hawes, Jeffery (Madeline) Hawes, Isabella Hawes and Jordan Hawes; 6 great grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, and Daffodil the cat. She is predeceased by her parents; great granddaughter; siblings Donald, Arnold, Clarence, Wesley, Ila and Earl.

A visitation will take place on Friday, 16 June 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at Memorial Baptist Church, 7007 Flora Road, Rockford, IL. A funeral service will follow at 11:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family to be dispersed between charities Carol held dear to her heart. To send online condolences or share memories, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com