Joy Hanna Palmer Hawkins

23 May 1943 - 13 May 2018

Joy Hawkins passed away on Sunday, May 13, 2018 at her new home, Maple Springs, in Brigham City, Utah. She was a long-time resident of Ron Clair in Ogden, Utah. She was a 3rd Ward member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joy was a retired employee of the IRS.

Joy and David Eugene Hawkins were married on February 21, 1964. They solemnized their commitment to one another in the Ogden LDS Temple on November 19, 1977.

Joy met "Damn it Dave" while cruisin’ on the Boulevard. Joy and Dave raised five beautiful, wonderful girls, she lovingly called "you little shits" (except for Amber, she was "little asshole"), Mary Angela, Dawn, April, Shelly, and Amber.

Joy was born May 23, 1943 in Ogden, Utah. Her parents gave her an excellent namesake which she took to heart. Actually, Joy took everything to heart. Wrangling her girls and grandkids, making sure she knew each one was happy and safe, Joy had no reluctance insisting on knowing "what’s going on?!" If the answer was sorrow, she would try her hardest to make everything better. If the answer was happiness, she was elated. Joy was a beacon radiating compassion and love to her neighbors, friends and anyone she met. Her home was often filled with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, foster children, neighbor children, and friends all thriving on her strength, kind-heartedness and tenderness. Like a magnet, Joy’s compelling heart drew people to her. She cared for the sick, comforted the sad, encouraged the bewildered, and boasted the achieved. Joy gave whatever she could to make everyone’s life just a little bit better. Joy made the Hawkins house the home to come to for comfort and love. Everyone could feel the altruism Joy shared throughout the entirety of her life. Selfless and self-sacrificing, Joy held the torch which lit so many lives, conjured so many smiles, generated so many laughs, and warmed so many souls. Her grand smile, contagious laugh, and bawling cries at the drop of a hat, will be ever sorely missed. Her heart and memories of her kindness will always be cherished.

Joy surrounded herself with family, friends and knick-knacks. Flowers were a must, petunias everywhere. Holidays were all important to her but the most celebrated was Christmas. Joy loved Christmas. The time of giving, the time of Love. She liked Santa Claus more than Dave. She also had other men in her life. Conway Twitty, Alan Jackson, Billy Thunder Cloud, and Elvis made her eyes perk, pray for rain and ask for binoculars. She still has the Styrofoam cup with slobber directly from Conway Twitty’s lips. If anything went wrong, she blamed it on Godfrey.

Joy was a techie. To keep up with her girls and grandkids, she kept tabs on Facebook and texting, as well as daily conversations on her smartphone. Do you still have one of her "life" request on Candy Crush? Butt dials were no problem because she just picked up on the conversation like she meant to do that. Joy also spent countless hours behind a computer researching her family history and genealogy.

You little shit, you died on Mother’s Day!

Joy is directly survived by her husband, David Eugene Hawkins; her daughters, Angie (Cathy Pommier) Hawkins, Dawn (Randy) Hays, April (Brian) Nye, Shelly (Leroy Mackay) Eddy, and Amber (Jason Workman) Perea; and sisters, Colleen (Vern) Schriock and Fawn (Rob Porter) Bennett. Joy and Dave have 18 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Still living at home are Maggie Mae and Pip.

Joy was preceded in death by her parents, Violet Orem and Robert Mason Palmer; brother and sister, Rod (Pam) Palmer and Ranae (Leon) Buck; granddaughter, Lily Perea; son in-law, Rick Eddy and Jager. Joy has many close and dear relatives that will remember her and many which preceded her whom she held dear.

Encompass Home Health and Hospice enabled mom to fight her ailments these past few years. Thank you, thank you to Laura and Tammy for everything you have done and giving us this extra time to enjoy our mom. Also, thank you to the staff and new friends at Maple Springs who welcomed our mom to a new home.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 18, 2018 at 11 a.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. Friends may visit with family on Thursday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the mortuary. Interment, Lindquist’s Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, 1718 Combe Rd.