Obituary of Nelson S. Hawkins

Nelson Samuel Hawkins passed away peacefully at his beloved home in Riverside, New Jersey on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at the age of 80. He was born one of ten children to the late Coady and Mary Elizabeth Hawkins. Nelson Hawkins was born in Riverside, NJ. He attended Riverside Public Schools and later went on to serve in the U.S. Army. In his early years, he attended First Baptist Church in Riverside, where he was baptized. Later in life, he became a member of Saints Memorial Community Church. Nelson was a former Riverside Police Officer and later worked as a Security Guard for Willingboro High School for several years where the students well loved him. He worked for Ford Motor Company in Pennsauken and retired after 25 years in security. He was a member of the Riverside School Board and a member of the Riverside Hall of Fame Committee. Known for his impressive skills on the football field, he was later inducted into the Riverside High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. He held memberships at Friends Forever Organization and the Mason Lodge. Nelson and his wife Mary were also entrepreneurs and owned their own cleaning service, Hawkins Janitorial Service, for years. He leaves to mourn his beloved and devoted son Rudolph “Rudy” Hawkins, one sister Phylis Masters (Elmund-deceased) of Waco, TX, two grandchildren Lindsey and Joshua Hawkins of Burlington, NJ, sisters-in-law Hannah Lindsay (Carlton- deceased), of Palmyra, NJ, Daisy Hawkins (Richard- deceased) of Pennsauken, NJ, and Shirley Hardy (Lou) of Delaware. Brother-in-laws Carl Rawls of Burlington, NJ, Willard Mahan (Emily) of Florida, Carl “Billy” Mahan (Deirdre) of Philadelphia, PA, devoted friend Judy Brown, and a ton of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. He is pre-deceased by his beloved wife of 54 years Mary Hawkins, four brothers Coady Hawkins Jr., Richard Hawkins, George Cryer, William Cryer, five sisters Mickey and Javester Hawkins of Riverside, NJ, Mary Herron and Marie Rawls of Burlington, NJ, and Louise Jackson Hawkins of Willingboro, NJ.