Linda Lou (Jenkins) Hawkins, age 83, passed away on Friday, April 5, 2024 in Wheelersburg, OH. The second of four Jenkinssisters, Linda was born on August 10, 1940 to Dale and Lucille (Whitley) Jenkins in in Sciotoville, OH, where she grew up.
After graduating from Minford High School as a 17-year-old in 1958, Linda matriculated at Mercy Hospital Nursing School, from which she graduated in 1961. While a nursing student, Linda’s high-school sweetheart, classmate Larry Hawkins, visited her from Cincinnati (where he had moved upon graduation) every weekend until they married in 1961, at which point Linda moved to join Larry in Cincinnati.
A lifelong learner, Linda made the mid-career decision to enroll at the University of Cincinnati to earn a Bachelor of Science—and later Master of Science—degree in nursing. The demands of working full-time as a registered nurse, however, never came at the expense of the role Linda most cherished: loving husband to Larry and devoted mother to her two children, Larry, Jr. and Teresa.
Linda retired from nursing at age 62 in 2002, which enabled her to spend more time with her grandchildren, who endearingly knew her as “Mimi.” Eternally and generously supporting her grandchildren, Linda spent much of her retirement attending their swim meets, tennis matches, basketball games, and school plays. She thrived most when her family visited Cincinnati, taking her grandchildren on adventures ranging from Kings Island outings and Cincinnati Reds games to shopping trips to the Dollar Tree (so that all her grandkids could pick out their own toys) to frequent meals at LaRosa’s Pizza and Skyline Chili. Linda’s family members—all of whom maintain she was the most photogenic person they have ever known—already miss (but will never forget) her contagious laugh and easy smile.
Linda is survived by her son, Larry (Donna) Hawkins, Jr. of Jasper, IN; son-in law, Joe Evans of Huntington, WV; grandchildren, Clark Evans of Chicago, IL; Ross (Alison) Evans of New York, NY; Daniel Hawkins of Jasper, IN; Alex (Chelsea) Hawkins of Victor, NY; Lauren Hawkins of West Lafayette, IN; and Grant Hawkins of Bloomington, IN; sister Sarah Maxine DiPrima of Rochester, NY; and sisters-in-law Carrol (Marvin) Klinker of Strongsville, OH and Sharon (Mike) Gampp of Minford. Linda is preceded in death by her husband, Larry; daughter, Teresa Evans; sisters Mary Ann Brackey and Nancy Dale Bower; and her parents. Linda’s son and grandchildren would like to especially thank their Aunt Sharon Gampp for the love and companionship she extended to Linda over the last months of her illness.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, April 13, 2024, at D.W. SWICK FUNERAL HOME (WOLFE-NELSON CHAPEL) in Sciotoville. Interment will follow at Memorial Burial Park. The family will receive friends on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home. Instead of flowers, consider a donation to the American Cancer Society or a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be left at www.DWSwickFuneralHome.com.
