Michael Paul Hawk
Our beloved Mike Paul Hawk left us for the big Raiders game in the sky on 28 August 2014.
Mike grew up in Kansas and West Virginia and graduated from Princeton High in Princeton, New Jersey. After high school, Mike’s family moved west where he ultimately split time at the University of Utah and Westminster College, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering.
During his professional career, Mike worked as a safety engineer at Hercules and Enviro Care, a truck driver with Navajo Express, a cab driver for Yellow Cab, and as an election judge in Salt Lake City.
Mike was an ardent member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and helped numerous individuals achieve sobriety. Mike himself just completed 30 years in the AA program.
Mike was an avid fisherman who enjoyed fly-fishing and float tubing at Jordanelle, Strawberry, and Smith and Morehouse. Mike laid waste to brother, Roger “Cutthroat Trout” Hawk, and nephew, Patrick “Catfish” Kelly, during the 2013 Hawk-Kelly Fishing Derby at Lake Powell by landing the monster striper (and several others) pictured above.
Mike spent numerous summers playing golf at Bonneville, the University of Utah Golf Course, and Central Valley. Along with golf, he also enjoyed playing bridge as a life master, watching the Oakland/LA Raiders dominate the AFC West, skiing at Park City and Alta, listening to Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and BB King, making the annual pilgrimage to the Deer Valley Seafood Buffet with his favorite brother and nephew, and stashing Playboys in nephew Paul’s room for his monthly perusal.
Mike played as special role in nephew Patrick’s life by instilling a great taste in rock and roll music in him, sending Patrick weekly tapings of pro wrestling TV shows during four military deployments to Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, and divulging the infamous top secret arrest of certain family members at the Salt Lake City Hires drive-in on 700 East in 1967.
Mike is survived by sister Sharon (Tim) Kelly, brother Roger, nephews Patrick and Paul Kelly, niece Jean Kelly, and Molly the black Labrador.
A celebration of life will be held Thursday, September 4th from 6-8 pm at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City.