Jay Mons Hawkinson, 86, of Rapid City, passed away on December 16, 2022, at Monument Health.

He was born in Galesburg, IL on June 4, 1936, to Kenneth and Eunice Hawkinson. The family moved to Moline, IL for their remaining years. Jay graduated from Moline High School, attended Augustana College (Rock Island Campus), Black Hawk College and various business and technical schools. He was active in Boy Scouts. He was a DeMolay and attained Master Councilor and awarded the Chevalier Degree. He loved his first job when working 3 years for Mills Chevrolet until he joined the US Air Force. After radar electronics training, he spent 5 years operating equipment at Radar Bombing Sites in Houston TX; Astoria, OR; Boise, ID; and Seattle, WA. He was honorably discharged from duty in 1963. He returned to Moline and married Maxine (Jeannie) Santiago who he met in Caldwell, ID. The couple made a good life together bringing two fine sons into the world. In 1978 the couple established and operated Teachers Pet Child Care Centers in Moline and another in Park View, IA. Jeannie passed away in November 1981 from a heart attack as a complication with Lupus.

When Jay returned to Moline after his military service, he went to work as an electronic technician for Eagle Signal Corporation in Moline. Over time, he was assigned as company quality control for the Apollo Space products. He later became Quality Control Supervisor. While at Eagle Signal, he was educated to become an evening Dale Carnegie Course Instructor. He instructed one Dale Carnegie class a week in either Davenport, IA or Rockford, IL areas for sixteen years. In 1986 he went to work as a Quality Control Manager for Fenner Fluid Products in Rockford, IL. He and family moved to Rockford for 4 years and then returned to the Quad City Area.

In 1982 Jay was introduced to musically talented Marian Parsons and they married a year later. Marian combined her two children and two adopted daughters with Jay’s two sons to make a warm and lovely family. When the family moved back from Rockford to the Quad Cities, Jay left for Langley, BC, Canada to oversee a truck wash conversion. After one year on this project, Jay returned home and launched his Water Recycling Systems Company. Working with Marian’s son, Jay developed a water purification system and had it patented for use primarily in laundromats and vehicle wash sites. While marketing the system, Jay did some commercial packaging products sales and developed specialty package designs. He later worked issuing and purchasing perishable tooling for LMT, a gun parts manufacturer. He computerized their tooling inventory system. He retired from LMT and was already designing and general contracting a new car wash in Rock Island with three partners. This site would likewise be a show place for his recycling systems. Unfortunately, one partner died, and the car wash had to close. Jay signed on to drive shuttle vans and limousines in a 300-mile radius of the Quad Cities and did so for six years and retired in 2010. All the younger family had gone to establish their places in the world and Marian and Jay moved to Rapid City, SD, and the inspiring Black Hills, also to be near their daughter and her family.

Jay was very active in his church since he walked to church at the age of 6 and most lately a member of South Canyon Lutheran Church. He was 50+ year Mason, a 50+ year Scottish Rite Mason and Dad (clinic driver) for the NAJA Shrine. As an adult, he served 16 years as a DeMolay Chapter Advisor and received the DeMolay Legion of Honor Degree and Advisor Cross of Honor. He was a past Commander of the Moline Scottish Rite Consistory, received the Meritorious Service Award and was honored by being made an Honorary 33°. He is a member of Post 22 American Legion. In 2014 he published a history book: “Freemasonry Threaded Through Mormonism.”

He is preceded in death by his parents, wife Maxine (Jeannie) Hawkinson, son Ronald (Tony) Johnson.

He is survived by his wife, Marian Hawkinson, brother Gary Hawkinson (Stella) Cleveland, GA, daughter Kristine Gullikson (Stephen) Rapid City, SD, son Jay Hawkinson II Longmont, CO, son Justin Hawkinson (Adrianna) Albuquerque, NM, Rose Kutscher Albuquerque, NM….grandchildren: Christopher Johnson Moline, IL, Alyssa Halsey (Alex) Moline, IL, Kaeley Weimerskirch, Albuquerque, NM, Sif Gullikson Rapid City, SD, Jay Mead Hawkinson Albuquerque, NM, and Hannah Hawkinson Albuquerque, NM.