Lois Hawkins

Lois Price Hawkins passed away on Friday May 22, 2020.  She was born August 11, 1929 in Osawatomie, Kansas to Damon Isaac & Lola Dawson Price and grew up in nearby Paola.  Her father passed away when she was two years old, and her mother raised Lois and her younger twin sisters with the help of the community and nearby relatives in Paola.  She graduated high school from the Ursuline Academy and continued her education there at the junior college.  She finished her undergraduate degree at Ottawa University and started her career as a school teacher.

Lois married John P. Hawkins from neighboring Osawatomie in 1951.   They lived in several Kansas cities and while raising their three children, she completed a Masters degree from Washburn University in 1969.   That same year they moved to Wichita where Lois continued teaching and eventually became a grade school librarian, sharing her love of reading with thousands of children.

Lois was active in her church and several philanthropic and community activities including: Wichita -Sedgwick County Historical Museum, Designing Women - Wichita Center for the Arts , PEO, Wichita Symphony, Music Theatre of Wichita, and Eastminster Presbyterian Church.  She passed along her love of reading to her children and many others, tending the libraries of Eastminster, Larksfield Place and several book clubs.

Lois is preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 56 years John P., her son Dr. John A. and her sister Wanda Nuzum,  She is survived by her daughter Laura of Leawood, KS, her son David (Judy) of Wichita, her sister Wanita Suhr (Tom) of Fairway and daughter-in-law Jennifer of Salt Lake City.

Lois was very proud of her 5 grandchildren: Sarah Michaelson (Brian) of Spokane, WA; Annie of Salt Lake City, UT; John S. of Chicago, IL; Daniel of Kansas City, MO and Jessica of San Francisco, CA and loved by 3 great-grandchildren.

Memorials to Eastminster Presbyterian Church and the Wichita Public Library Foundation.