Roger Jennings Hawkins

Roger Jennings Hawkins

June 30, 1948 – June 30, 2025

Roger Hawkins Obituary

Roger Jennings Hawkins, a 77-year-old Trenton resident passed away, Monday, June 30, 2025, at Hillcrest Silver Ridge Facility in Gretna, Nebraska.

Funeral services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Monday, July 7, 2025, at the First Christian Church in Trenton. Burial will follow in the Resthaven Memorial Gardens of Trenton. A visitation will be Sunday, July 6, 2025 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Slater Neal Funeral Home. The family suggest in lieu of flowers, that memorial donations be made to the First Christian Church and may be left or mailed to the funeral home.

Roger Jennings Hawkins was born to Mary Jean (Whitley) and John L. Hawkins on June 30, 1948, in Trenton. He has one brother, John A. (Cindy) Hawkins of Naples, FL. He graduated from Trenton High School in 1967. Following high school, he attended and graduated from Tennessee Technical Institute with an Associates of Arts with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He later attended Truman State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Science. Following graduation, he spent many years in Yellow Page advertising. He loved to tell “Consolidated” stories about his many adventures in advertising sales.

Roger was a lifelong member of First Christian Church of Trenton, Missouri.

On October 28, 1967, he married Barbara Sue (Shockey) Hawkins. They had two children, Teresa Janeen (Brad) Cross, Gretna, NE and Andrew Jennings (Shelley) Hawkins, Kansas City, KS. He loved to spend time with his family and especially loved his grandkids and great-grandson.

His dream came true when he found his grandfather, Ralph Jennings Whitley’s 1950 F-1 Ford truck and restored it to its former glory. He learned to drive in this 3-speed on the floor truck next to his grandfather’s popcorn fields at 14 years old. Many years later, he found it at his Uncle Freddie and Aunt Carrol Key’s field. It had been there so long that a tree and weeds were growing up through it. They pulled it out of the field and started the long process of restoring it to be as close to the original as possible. Driving his truck reminded him of his childhood and he had so many great memories. Since being restored, he has attended several car shows, cruises, and parades and won several awards.

Roger is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, John A. and Cindy Hawkins, of Naples, Florida, aunts and uncles, Freddie and Carrol Key and John and Beverly Whitley, all of Trenton, Missouri, daughter Teresa Janeen Cross and husband, Brad, of Gretna, Nebraska and son, Andrew Jennings Hawkins and wife, Shelley, of Kansas City, Kansas, grandchildren Alexander Duke (Danielle) Cross, Zachary Brett (fiancée Alyssa Monson) Cross, Jacquelyn Allisandra Hawkins, Sydney Coral Ann Hawkins, Hadyn Star Hawkins, and great grandson, Sonny Duke Cross. He is also survived by several extended family members, nieces, nephews, cousins and lots of close friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara (Shockey) Hawkins, parents, John and Mary Jean (Whitley) Hawkins, and parent-in-laws, Judd and Coral (Stotts) Shockey, brother/sister in-laws, Leroy and Joan Shockey, Bill and Patricia Shockey.

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