John Wallis Hawkins

John Wallis Hawkins was born on April 2, 1935, in Lewistown, Montana, and moved to Reno as a young boy. He attended Mount Rose Elementary School and graduated from Reno High School in 1953. Accomplished in multiple sports, he competed as a light heavyweight on the University of Nevada boxing team and was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity during his years at the university. After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno, he and Diane were married in Reno in 1958.

John built his life and career in northern Nevada, becoming a prominent Reno resident and attorney. Admitted to the State Bar of Nevada in 1975, he devoted his professional life to the practice of law in the Reno community he had called home since childhood.

John Wallis Hawkins died of heart failure on November 28, 2012, at the age of 77. He was survived by his devoted wife of 54 years, Diane; his daughter, Sharon, and her husband, John Hawthorne; and his son, Vinton, and his wife, Kari, along with grandchildren Hannah and Conrad.