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Lou Hawkins was MHS graduate


Louis Wayne Hawkins, 78, passed away on Feb. 22, 2021, in Texas.
Louis, also known as Shifty (South Dakota), Buz (family name), and Lou, was born in Mobridge to James Wayne and Lillian Eda (Sperry).
As a child, he contracted polio and lived in Hot Springs for three summers, undergoing intensive physical therapy.
He played trombone in the marching band, sang bass in the men’s and mixed choirs and graduated from Mobridge High School.
He attended Northern State College until he decided to explore the rest of the U.S. While he was traveling, he worked at the L.A. Times and was drafted into the U.S. Army, working as a company clerk. When he returned to South Dakota, he worked for UPS as a driver and union steward.
Lou moved into the field of video security, planning and installing security systems for corporate clients in Minnesota, Illinois, and multiple locations in the Northeast. He officed in the World Trade Center, driving to New York City daily from Suffix, New Jersey.
He resided in Mobridge, Minneapolis, Chicago and New Jersey, moving with his wife, Deb, and two children, Michael and Sabrina.
After retiring from the security company, he began working as a golf ranger and connected with a number of friends.
In November 2020, Lou and Deb moved to Dallas, Texas, to be near their daughter and family.
When he contracted COVID-19, he had met some very important life goals of moving to Texas and settling there. Shortly thereafter, he was treated for COVID at Baylor Hospital System.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Lillian.
He is survived by his wife, Debra (Gunther); son, Mike and fiancée Jessica Panfile of Wantage, New Jersey; daughter, Sabrina, and husband Brian, and their son, Dylan, of Scurry, Texas; and sister, Susan of Minneapolis.
He will be missed by all.

2 responses to “Lou Hawkins was MHS graduate”

  1. Karen (Ehrenberg) Lipp says:

    So sorry…. had just reconnected with Lou on Facebook and was so saddened to read that he lost his battle with CoVid! One more nickname, We knew him as Buster Hawkins at MHS… a good guy… to be missed!

  2. John Gross says:

    I rangered with Lou for years. He was the best. I called him hawk and we had a lot of fun. He always took the lead and had my back. No better golf partner could be found. I will surely miss him.

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