Obituary of Adrian Thomas Hawes
Adrian Thomas Hawes (lovingly known as AT by many) passed away peacefully with his family by his side on April 26th, 2025.
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on March 7th, 1949, to Helen Belair and raised lovingly by Gertrude Hawes (both predeceased), Adrian leaves behind his loving wife Anne and sons Mark (Coburn) and Jason, as well as his five grandchildren Lachlan, Cohen, Jonah, Callie, and Tallulah. Adrian is also survived by brothers Phillip, Bruce, Andrew, Jeffrey and sister Nadine as well as brothers-in-law Ken and Clayton Minogue. He is predeceased by brother Mark and stepfather Alan Belair.
After spending his early life in Nova Scotia, in his late teens Adrian headed west in search of a different life. Supported by his dear Aunt Judy and Uncle Harry Lawlis, he settled in the Ottawa Valley and began to put down some roots. Soon after he met a sweet girl from Cumberland and the rest is history.
Shortly after marrying Anne, Adrian began his life-long career at Ontario Hydro and the family relocated to Perth, Ontario. There he would meet Henry & Joan Desjardins who took him in while he got settled in a new town, preparing for Anne to join him. Henry & Joan became an instrumental part of Adrian & Anne’s lives as they built a new life in a new town. In 1976, Adrian & Anne built a house on the outskirts of town, and they would end up calling this home for the rest of their days together. It was in this home that they raised Mark & Jason and watched them grow from rambunctious, mischievous boys into successful, caring men and fathers. Adrian was always up for anything with the boys and through him they experienced the gift of adventure and exploration. They developed the confidence and courage to try new things, they learned the value of hard work, and most importantly, they learned the importance of appreciation and gratitude for who and what you have in life.
Adrian was a man of many talents… he had a knack for taking something old and lovingly bringing it back to life, pouring his time and energy into every detail. He had a penchant for collecting things - antiques of all kinds, kerosene lanterns and camping stoves, baseball cards and sports collectibles, and let’s not forget fishing lures. He was an avid fisherman, a professional ‘tinkerer’, an award-winning wood carver, a talented card player, and a story-teller extraordinaire…. And of course, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Adrian’s uncanny ability to make connections with everyone – he could talk to anybody, anywhere about anything!
But most importantly, Adrian was a devoted husband and loving father and grandfather. With hard work and commitment, he and Anne built a beautiful life together. Nothing gave Adrian greater pride than watching his sons thrive – he was their biggest cheerleader and fiercest protector. And then when his grandchildren arrived, he became the proudest Papa in the world! Nothing brought him greater pleasure than spending time with each of his grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Kingston Health Sciences Centre https://kingstonhsc.ca/
A private Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Arrangements are in the care of Blair & Son Funeral Directors, Perth.
