Verner David Hawk

On December 2, 2022 Verner D. Hawk, age 76, of Rancho Cucamonga, California, passed away after a short illness. Known by his immediate family members as “Butch,” he was born in May, 1946 to Charles and Alyce “Billie” Hawk in Cleveland, Ohio. Vern is survived by his youngest brother C. Terrance (Terry) Hawk, and nieces and nephews who loved him dearly. He was preceded in death by his wife of 22 years, Mae Hawk, his younger brother, Wayne D. Hawk, and his mother and father. Vern was a member of the La Habra High School class of 1964. After attending Fullerton Jr. College (California) he worked for General Telephone of California and shortly after enlisted in the Navy in 1967 and was eventually assigned to serve aboard the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga (CVA-60), acting as an Avionics Electronics Technician while cruising the Mediterranean. Vern received an honorable discharge in 1970. Following his navy service, he again worked for General Telephone until 1974. He returned to college and graduated from California State University Long Beach in 1976 with a degree in Industrial Technology. He was hired by Hughes Aircraft as a Quality Assurance Engineer monitoring the final testing of major shipboard ground support radar and aerial defense systems. He presented these systems to government agencies demonstrating their functional capabilities. Vern retired from Hughes/Raytheon in 2005. During their retirement Vern and Mae shared a hobby of crafting hand-made items and selling them at various venues in Southern California. Later in retirement (2011), Vern and Mae earned their amateur radio licenses; Vern earned an Amateur “General” License K6TAW. They both supported San Bernardino Emergency Services through training efforts and also volunteered for call outs for emergency events as needed. A memorial service will be held at a date yet to be determined.