James "Jimmy" Walter Hawkins' Obituary
James (Jimmy) Walter Hawkins, 76, of Memphis, Tenn., passed away on August 28. After a courageous 13-month battle with glioblastoma, he was surrounded by family as he went home to be with our Lord. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Belinda Hart Hawkins, and his two daughters Amanda Hawkins Gowen (wife to Jason Michael Gowen) and Molly Hawkins Griesbeck (wife to Todd Louis Griesbeck), all of Memphis. He was the best “Doom” to five grandchildren: Hart, Annie and Wilkes Gowen; and Walker and Miller Griesbeck; and an uncle to a host of nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his two brothers Daniel William Hawkins Jr. (husband to Glenda W. Hawkins) and Charles Larry Hawkins (husband to Diane Hawkins Boone).
Jimmy was born on July 25, 1946 in Long Beach, Calif., to the late Dorothy Walker and Daniel William Hawkins. A lifelong and devoted Memphian, he was a graduate of Treadwell High School where he was a basketball standout, even being selected to the 1964 Prep All-American Basketball team. With multiple offers to play basketball at the collegiate level, Jimmy chose to stay in his hometown and continue his basketball career at Memphis State University. Jimmy's proudest moments playing for the Tigers included: being on the first team to play in the Mid-South Coliseum; scoring 24 points against Oklahoma City University during the 1965-66 season; and making an NIT appearance in 1967. He was a member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity, and graduated from Memphis State University with a B.A. in Business.
Jimmy enlisted in the United States Air Force after college and served four years during the Vietnam War, including six months in Guam. Following military service, Jimmy returned to Memphis and began working in sales and advertising for WREG Channel 3 where he retired after 31 years. Jimmy quickly decided retirement wasn’t for him. He then joined FCL, Lease First and worked alongside his friend Jim Cross for many years.
An avid outdoorsman, Jimmy was most at peace in nature. Every weekend you undoubtedly could find him hunting and fishing with his buddies or cooking in the King Biscuit Blues Festival, Italian Festival or the Memphis in May International Festival. Jimmy was a founding member of Basted, one of 20 teams that participated in the inaugural 1978 Memphis in May World Championship Barbeque Cooking Contest. In later years, Basted joined Boss Pitt, and Jimmy competed with this team in every MIM Barbecue contest spanning 41 years until 2020. And for the record, if there was a biscuit and gravy cooking contest, Jimmy would place first every time. Just ask his grandchildren, who were the lucky recipients of Doom’s biscuits and gravy every time they spent the night. A regular at the Half Shell, Jimmy enjoyed watching all the big games with “the boys.” Today, one can find his picture hanging proudly above his chair.
The family would like to thank his doctors at West Cancer Clinic and Semmes Murphy as well as Methodist Hospice and his loving caregivers. And to his friends who visited the past month and brought the Half Shell’s good times to him, that was the best medicine. We are forever grateful to you.
A funeral will be held on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. at Second Baptist Church with visitation beginning at 12:00 p.m. A graveside service will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave.
In lieu of flowers the family asks memorials be sent to the West Cancer Center Foundation.
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