Donald "Don" Hawes, 86, of Warren, IL passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at the SSM Hospice Home in Monroe, WI. He was born on May 9, 1938, in Freeport, IL to Robert and Mayme (Schliem) Hawes. He was a 1956 graduate of Warren High School. On November 15, 1958, he married his high school sweetheart Carol Busch and together they raised three daughters. Don worked for Micro Switch Honeywell in maintenance for 44 years. His last 24 years he was a Maintenance Supervisor. He was very dedicated and passionate about his job and looked forward to going into work every day!

He had a great love for cars, owning over fifty throughout his life. Don was an avid NASCAR fan. He attended races and loved watching them at home. He crafted family heirlooms that his family cherishes with his very skilled woodworking abilities. Don and Carol loved going to garage sales and antique stores to find treasures to restore and refinish. Throughout their life they went camping with their girls. In their later years they upgraded to an RV, to share their love of camping with their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Don is survived by Carol, his wife of 65 years; three daughters, Pam (John Deyo) Davis of Warren, Marcia (Doug) Kaiser of Monroe, WI, and Lana (Steve) Murphy of Lake Mills, WI; six grandchildren, Garrett (Amy) Davis, Kylie (Matt) Davis, Haley (Luke) Neuenschwander, Riley (Courtney Nevala) Murphy, Bryce (Jasmine Jones) Murphy, and Ian (Julia Carncross) Murphy; six great-grandchildren, Hudson, Adelyn, and Ella Davis, Kameron and Kaden Davis, and Wesley Murphy; sister-in-law Mary Hawes; two nieces, Melissa (Joe) Daddio and Mollie Hawes.

He was proceeded in death by his parents; in-laws Arthur and Alverna Busch; brother Ron Hawes and brother-in-law Karl Busch.

The family will be hosting a Celebration of Life on Saturday, August 3, 2024, from 1:00 pm-4:00 pm at the Apple River Event Center in Apple River, IL. A light buffet lunch will be served.

For those of you who knew Don, he loved to share a good story. At 3:00 pm a time of sharing will take place. For those with a good story about Don, the family would love to hear them! For those not comfortable sharing in public, we will also have memory cards available to write down your story for the family to read later, in private.

In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established in his memory.