In Remembrance – Don Hawkes 1939-2017

It is with great sadness that Swimming New Brunswick has learned of the passing of one of our swimming family members. Donald (Don) Hawkes of Fredericton, NB passed away suddenly on October 11th.

For many of us Don (& his family) had been a cornerstone to the sport of swimming and Swimming New Brunswick for decades. Don along with his wife Ruth have been volunteering, mentoring, educating and promoting swimming locally, provincially and nationally, on the deck as a Master 5 official and at the board level as past members of the boards of directors of the Fredericton Aquanaut Swim Team, Swimming New Brunswick and Swimming Canada.
Don had received many recognitions through his “volunteer career” with swimming most notably being inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall in 2013, receiving the prestigious Ken Fillipelli Award for officiating excellence from Swimming Canada in 1996 and over the years receiving other special recognition awards from Swimming Canada in 1999 and Administrators of the year in 2008, the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship in 2006, and the Sport New Brunswick Lifetime Volunteer Achievement Award in 2010. Don was New Brunswick’s first swimming official to receive his Master Official Level 5 designation.

Don served as a mentor to countless swimmers and parents over the years, and he truly enjoyed the opportunity to give back to our sport by selflessly offering his time through officiating, various administration roles, hosting officiating clinics and in general passing on his extensive knowledge of our sport to the next generation of swimming volunteers. Both Don and his wife Ruth are among the longest serving volunteers with Swimming New Brunswick.

Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with Don’s wife Ruth, his family and friends at this difficult time. We would like to thank Don for his contributions and take time to remember him for all of his contributions to our sport.

http://obituaries.telegraphjournal.com/book-of-memories/3210519/donald-hawkes/obituary.php

David Frise
President
Swimming New Brunswick