Remembering Esther Fredericka Hawkins: Beloved Vista matriarch dies at 103

By: J. STRYKER MEYER - Staff Writer | Monday, February 18, 2008 9:24 PM PST ∞

VISTA -- When Esther Fredericka Hawkins' husband died in 1946, the Vista widow worked at the Calavo Avocado Packing house to earn enough money to raise her four children by herself.

Her gumption, courage and strength of character sustained her through those difficult times and led her to often tell people to "remember the past, but don't live in it," said her youngest daughter Beverly Davis, a 1960 graduate of Vista High.

Hawkins went on to raise her children and serve up good food and wisdom to succeeding generations while holding down different jobs, including 13 years at the commissary on Camp Pendleton and 47 years of service to First Lutheran Church in Vista.

"Grandma's gift was that she made us all the feel we were special. We joked that each of us was her ‘favorite,'" said granddaughter Beverly Fisher.

"Her complete acceptance of all of us in each generation that passed through her life was uncanny," she said. "She connected with every new family member and our friends; she embraced and indoctrinated each of us to connect and support one another."

A resident of Vista for 70 years, Esther Fredericka Hawkins, 103, died peacefully on Valentine's Day, surrounded by family members. A celebration of her life is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, at the First Lutheran Church, in Vista, with the Rev. Cathy Bohman officiating.

Hawkins is survived by: sons Merlin Hawkins of San Marcos and Russell Hawkins of Mexia, Texas; daughters Shirley Elliott of Oceanside and Beverly Davis of Longmont, Colorado; 12 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and 5 great-great-grandchildren.

"I could call Grandma for anything morning, noon or night," said granddaughter Diane Neff of Carlsbad. "I remember calling her when I was in my teens asking for advice, she was always there for me. She always had an answer and to be honest it was always right."

Hawkins' positive spirit and strong faith were a wonderful source of strength for everyone who knew her, family members said. "For someone who lived such a long life, she lived it fully, with compassion and joy," said Martin Philips, her oldest great-grandson.

She witnessed many changes in North County and the country during her 70 years in Vista, said Fisher. Through it all Hawkins always had something nice to say.

"We were surprised, when at age 100, she told us it was the best Thanksgiving dinner she'd ever had. . . but she meant it, " Fisher said

No doubt, that meal was more sumptuous than the Thanksgiving dinners from her youth as one of 12 children born in Yankton, S.D. Which was just one of the bumps in the road she endured.

She and her husband Claude Reed Hawkins packed up their three children during the depression in the 30s and moved to Bonsall in 1938.

One year later, they moved to Vista, where their fourth child was born. They moved into a one bedroom house on Bobier Drive where Hawkins worked at the Chicken Pie Shop while her husband served with the National Guard during World War II.

Hawkins sold the Bobier Drive property in the 1950s. It is the site where the present Vista High School campus opened in 1971. She moved to Valencia Drive to live closer to her sister and brother-in-law Gertie and Mades Larsen, who owned an egg ranch.

Wherever Hawkins hung her hat, there was always room at her kitchen table for one more guest, family members said.

She delighted being part of Hearts and Hands, the First Lutheran's women's service group, where her handiwork, especially crocheting, was appreciated by the many recipients of newborn booties and caps.

Memorial donations can be sent to the First Lutheran Church, 1410 Foothill Drive, Vista, CA, 92084.

-- Contact staff writer J. Stryker Meyer at (760) 901-4089 or jmeyer@nctimes.com.