Helen Ruth Hawkins

Helen Ruth Dodgen Hawkins was born on May 18,1931 in Trinidad, Colorado. She was reunited with her eternal companion on September 5, 2019. Her parents are Bee Leslie Dodgen and Mary Louise Girodo Dodgen.  Her mother died when she was 19 months old and her father married Ethel Mae Collins.  She lived in Arizona until she was 9 years old and then moved to Manassa, Colorado.  She was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when she was 16 years old along with her sister Gladys.  When she was 17 years old, she married the love of her life and her eternal companion, Walter Bruce Hawkins, on June 1, 1948.  They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on December 8, 1965. They lived in Manassa, CO where their son Eldon was born.  Moved to Romeo, CO where their son Gary was born, then moved to Monte Vista, CO where Ruth, JoMarie, Ken, Sandy and Mike finished out their family.  She lived in Monte Vista until 1973 when Bruce was transferred to the La Jara fish hatchery with his job.  They resided there until Bruce became ill and they moved to Loveland, Colorado, where they lived with their son Ken.  When Bruce passed away on March 17, 1997, Helen moved to Berthoud, Colorado and lived there until she moved to Preston, Idaho in 2012, to live with her daughter, Ruth. She had currently been residing in the Heritage Home in Preston, Idaho.  

Helen lived a very full life.  Her family was always her highest priority. She loved them all very much and would do anything for them. She was always very proud of them.  One of her very favorite memories was of when she sang with a group of ladies on the radio on Sundays.  She shared stories of the time she helped build her home by making bricks out of mud and straw when she was a young girl and picking pigweed and dandelion greens to eat.  She worked several jobs while living in Monte Vista.  When she moved to La Jara she started working in the kitchen at the Conejos County Hospital where she worked her way up to head cook and dietitian. She loved to crochet and made everything from hats to dolls to baby blankets or pretty much anything you can crochet.  She was also an accomplished seamstress.  When her children were young, she sewed their clothes and made special ones for Easter.  She made wedding dresses, prom dresses, and blessing dresses for her children and grandchildren. Her passion later in life was reading and she always had a book close by.  She loved to go camping with her family but preferred to stay close to camp while the rest went hiking and fishing.  She was the camp cook.  She also volunteered at the hospital in Loveland for awhile.  She served in the Denver Temple for a few years which she thoroughly enjoyed.  While living in Berthoud she enjoyed going boating with her family.  She also started fishing! One of her favorite things was to go to Carter Lake for a picnic.

Helen is survived by all of her children; Eldon and Debra Hawkins, Gary and Diana Hawkins, Ruth Swainston, JoMarie Stephens, Ken and Peggy Hawkins, Sandra and Tom Culler and Michael and Anne Hawkins. They all reside in Colorado except Ruth, who lives in Idaho.  She is also survived by several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren as well as her sisters; Betty, Doreen and brother Don, and sister-in-law Thelda.  She was proceeded in death by her mom and dad and her mom Ethel, her sisters Katherine, Carrol and Gladys and brothers Lewis and Amos, and a great-granddaughters Monica and Ashley.

Special thanks go to all the staff at the Heritage Home and to Signature Hospice for their love and care especially to a special lady named Thelma who goes the extra mile.  And Thank you to the Legacy 3rd Branch for all your love and service.

Services will be held  on September 14, 2019 at the La Jara 1st Ward Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 716 Broadway Street, La Jara, CO.  A viewing will be held from 9:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. prior to the funeral.  Funeral services will begin at 10:15 a.m.  Burial will be in the La Jara Cemetery following the funeral services.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at: webbmortuary.com