Mostly Cloudy, 70° F
(Aug. 23, 1911-April 29, 2011)
Louise Jolley Hawley, 99, died April 21, 2011 at the hew Horizons Care Center in Lovell.
She died peacefully just four months short of her 100th birthday.
Mrs. Hawley was born Aug. 23, 1911 in Burley, Idaho, the 10th child and fourth daughter of Lorenzo Jolley and Malita Cross Spencer Jolley. Her parents moved back to Lovell in 1912, where she was raised until her high school graduation.
She was an energetic girl who loved church and school activities. She was elected junior class president and also won the local debate challenge that year. Her father died when she was 12 and she began working as a “soda jerk” as the local drugstore and at the dry cleaners to help her mother support her family, which included her younger sisters. She missed her “Papa” and his death left a void in her life. She spoke often of being anxious to see her father again.
In the winter of 1928-1929, she dropped out of high school in her senior year to care for her mother, who had influenza. By the time her mother recovered in the spring, it was too late to finish the school year, so she began her senior year again the following fall and graduated with the class of 1930.
After graduation, she attended the University of Wyoming to obtain a one-semester teaching certificate qualifying her to teach in rural public schools. After her UW graduation, she returned home and married Ralph William Hawley of Powell on Dec. 31, 1930 in Red Lodge, Mont. WIth the Great Depression in full force, they scraped up enough money to buy gas, borrowed a car and came home the same day without a honeymoon.
Later, they bought Ralph’s father’s farm in Powell and lived and worked there for many years. She loved living on the farm, where they adopted their only child, a son named Ralph Robert. He was 10 days old when they picked him up in Fresno, Calif., thrilled to have a baby after waiting 18 years.
Mrs. Hawley became the first LDS Church Relief Society president in Powell. She loved and served the Relief Society throughout her life. She was an early morning seminary teacher for two years, teaching high school juniors and seniors.
Mrs. Hawley is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Juanita of Lovell; five grandchildren, Ivy (Brian) Reynolds of Tillamook, Ore., Hans (Emilie) Hawley of Lovell, Richard (Beth) Hawley of Casper, Spencer (Rhonda) Hawley of Sandy, Utah, and Ginger (Mark) Bennett of Idaho Falls, Idaho; several nieces and nephews and many great-nieces and nephews.
Viewing will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, in the west chapel of the Lovell LDS Church followed by funeral services at 2 p.m. in the east chapel. Burial will follow in Crown Hill Cemetery and family and friends may attend at dinner at the LDS chapel on Avenue in Powell at 4:30 p.m.
Haskell Funeral Home of Lovell assisted the family with arrangements.
