…retired from Raytheon and Jade East; 82
TEWKSBURY - Claire Ann (Brabant) Hawkes, age 82, matriarch of a well known Tewksbury family, died unexpectedly Thursday night, Dec. 10, at Lowell General Hospital, surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife for sixty-one years of Harold A. Hawkes Jr., who died in January 2012.
Claire was born at the Brabant family home on Chandler Street in Tewksbury in March 1933, the youngest of three daughters of the late George and Grace (Monbleau) Brabant. She remained a Tewksbury resident throughout her life, where she raised her family of six sons.
She attended the Foster School, and later Tewksbury High School. Claire retired from Raytheon, and had also worked as a waitress at the Jade East Restaurant for nearly twenty years.
She was remembered for her “big heart,” with unconditional love to give to her family and friends, her love for cooking and baking, her unwavering love for the Boston Red Sox, and her devotion to her Black Labrador, “Logan.”
She also gallantly and successfully fought two forms of Cancer during her lifetime.
She leaves six sons and their spouses, Harold A. Hawkes III and his wife Jane (Thompson) of Charlotte, ME, Dennis Hawkes and his wife Elizabeth (Mahoney) of Chelmsford, David W. Hawkes and his wife Donna (Coyne) of No. Billerica, Robert K. Hawkes and his wife Lynne (Metivier), Brian W. Hawkes, and Gary A. Hawkes and his wife Denise (Fortier) all of Tewksbury; her beloved sister, Rita Fortier of Tewksbury; ten grandchildren; 19 great grandchildren; and 2 great great grandchildren; many beloved nieces and nephews; and was also predeceased by her grandson, Harold A. Hawkes IV, and sister Elaine Hawkes.
A Memorial Celebration of Her Life will be held Monday, Dec. 14, from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. in the Tewksbury-Wilmington Elks Lodge, 777 South St., Tewksbury, MA In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1893, Memphis, TN 38101-9950 or visit www.stjude.org Arrangements were through the Tewksbury Funeral Home. See: www.tewksburyfuneralhome.com