Dolores King Hawley

Dolores King Hawley, 91, of Champaign (formerly of Danville, IL and The Villages, FL) died Saturday, February 27, 2021. She was born September 23, 1929, to John M. Ceriotti and Harriet Bajorinas (Byron) Ceriotti. She married John “Jack” King on October 21, 1950. He passed away in January, 1987 after 36 years of marriage.  She later married Henry Hawley. 

She is survived by her children:  Stephen (Sandy) King of Southside, AL; Margaret (Ron) White of Mahomet, IL; Mary Young of Champaign, IL; John (Meg) King of Norwell, MA; and Sam Hawley, Sugarland, TX; and her grandchildren: Amie (Matt) Pilato, Mike (Jana) White, Andrew (Alyssa) White, Kimberly Young, Michael King, Katherine King, Perry Hawley, Hannah Hawley; and five great-grandchildren. 

She was preceded in death by John “Jack” King, Henry Hawley, and her sister, Kathryn Armon. 

Dolores was a proud “Coal Miner’s” daughter who respected and valued everyone. She graduated from Westville High School and St. Elizabeth School of Nursing. In addition to raising her family, Dolores was a pediatric/OB nurse at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. 

She believed you could accomplish anything if you set your mind to it. She contracted measles as a child, leaving her deaf in one ear. She compensated by lipreading and went on to get her RN degree, a difficult feat in that time.  

She spent her life volunteering and giving to others. She was a social butterfly who endlessly lived a life of kindness, humility, and goodness. She could find fun in anything, and her smile could light up a room. She had a special way of making everyone’s day, be it in her soft, wise words or lighthearted dance moves. In her later years, she traveled the world extensively. However, her greatest joy was being with her family. 

Her family is grateful to Carriage Crossing Senior Living of Champaign. They loved and cared for her as their “mom” during this past year. 

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Schlarman Academy, 2112 North Vermilion Street, Danville, IL 61832. In her memory, please do a random act of kindness, smile at a stranger, or share chocolate. 

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