Obituary of Richard Barry (Dick) Hawk

October 12, 1926 – December 2, 2018

Dick Hawk was born October 12, 1926 in Calgary, the tenth and youngest child of Walter and Beatrice (Thomson) Hawk of Parkland. He was raised at Parkland and attended school in Parkland and Nanton. In 1963, he married Pat Patterson of Claresholm, and together they raised two daughters.

After graduation, Dick went to work for Clyde Jessup at the Nanton News, and subsequently he and partner George Meyer bought the newspaper from the Jessup family and ran it together until George left for the Camrose Canadian. Dick then published the News himself until 1977. Under his editorship, the paper won numerous awards from both the Canadian and the Alberta Weekly Newspaper Associations; one year, the Nanton News actually swept every honour in its class at the annual AWNA awards ceremony.  Dick’s career at the News offered him many unique experiences, including interviews with notable persons and even an invitation to tour NORAD headquarters, among others. In 1977, finding the demands of editing and publishing a weekly newspaper and raising two small children to be too much, Dick sold the News to Ed and Lynne Maynard and accepted a position at the Vulcan Advocate where he remained until his retirement in 1989.

Dick was well known locally and throughout Southern Alberta as an accomplished sportsman. He participated in baseball, hockey, golfing, and curling, and was a member of the Nanton Rifle and Revolver Club and an avid recreational horseman. Although baseball was his first love, he was more widely known as “a helluva hockey player”, perhaps most notably for captaining the Nanton Palominos to their 1955-56 Big Six League championship. That season, Dick was also named a league All-Star and awarded the trophies for Most Assists and (to his great gratification) for Most Gentlemanly Player.  His long involvement with the Palominos, and with the Foothills and Ranchland Hockey leagues did not end with his playing career; he subsequently coached the Nanton Palominos and the Okotoks Oilers, and also served as the league statistician for a number of years. Over the years he acted as a coach for various minor baseball teams, a bantam boys’ slowpitch team, and his daughter’s fastball team as well.

In 1994, Dick and Pat retired to the family ranch at the Greenbank District west of Claresholm, where they enjoyed several years of rural life until 2010, when they moved to Strathmore to spend more time with their daughters and grandchildren.

Dick passed away peacefully at the age of 92 on December 2, 2018, following a brief illness. He was predeceased by his parents, sisters Helen (Chester) Wood, Winnie (Cyril) Watt, Hazel (Bill) Watt, Beatrice (Herb) Carlson, and Phyllis (Doug)Terry, brothers Bill (Levina), Jim (Frieda), Wally (Gloria) and Stan (Thelma) Hawk, brother-in-law Danny (Hollie) Patterson and many dear friends. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patricia (Patterson) Hawk, his daughters Karen (Dion) Galandy and Susan Hawk, and his grandchildren Jacob and Tessa Galandy, all of Strathmore. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.

Dick was a past president of the Alberta Weekly Newpapers Association, of the Nanton Minor Sports Association and of the Nanton Golf Club. He also served on the Southern Alberta Tourist Association and the Journalism Advisory Committee at SAIT.

In recognition of Dick’s long involvement with the community of Nanton and amateur sports, the family requests that in lieu of sending flowers, please forward a donation to Nanton Palominos Hockey, Box 393, Nanton AB, T0L 1R0.

In accordance with Dick’s wishes, no funeral will be held at this time but plans for a Celebration of Life may be announced at a future date.