Gary Carlton Hawk

Gary Carlton Hawk died of a heart attack on October 9, 2017 at the age of 82.  Gary was born in Paducah, Texas, on March 28, 1935, the second child of Alma Maye Sosebee and Cecil Miller Hawk.  He was welcomed into the family by his older sister Shirley Cecile Hawk Jackson.  He was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved sister, and his dear friend Lorraine Gundersen, Nampa, Idaho. Gary joined the Air Force in 1955 and thought he was going to see the world, but alas, he spent his entire time stationed in El Paso, Texas.  He married Nita Irene Sloan of Lingleville, Texas and to this union one daughter was born, Salie Anne Hawk Henry. Gary attended high school at Lubbock High School and college at Lubbock Christian College and Texas Tech University.  He followed his father’s civil engineering background and was gifted with mathematics, numbers and measurements.  Gary founded and was CEO of several telecommunication engineering firms which had their headquarters in New London, Iowa, Irving, Texas, and Boise, Idaho.  He traveled throughout the US working government RUI contracts to bring fiber optic cable to rural areas.  He moved to Boise, Idaho in the late 1980s working with Oregon-Idaho Utilities to bring telephone services to Jordan Valley and Burns Junction, Oregon and McDermott, Denio and Paradise Valley, Nevada.  He loved his work and missed it after he retired. In his younger years, Gary and his sister, Shirley, loved to play cowboys and Indians and would ride their paint horse in the West Texas countryside, cook bacon and eggs, and make coffee.  Shirley and Gary never quarreled as children and had a truly unique and priceless relationship.  Gary had over 20 first cousins who, along with his 16 aunts and uncles, adored and doted on him. He especially loved and in his early years was close to all of his aunts, uncles and cousins but especially to his late aunt and uncle, Billie Jean and Alton Goodrich of Fort Worth, Texas, and his cousin Rodney Satterwhite of Midland, Texas. Gary met Linda Steinberger in 1993 at the Cathedral of the Rockies singles group. They purchased their home in Nampa in 2005 to be closer to his work and to help care for Linda’s mother, Lorraine Gundersen, who came to live with them in 2016. Gary and Lorraine enjoyed each other’s company immensely, laughing together daily and joking back and forth with their special wit and sense of humor. Gary was a great support to Linda while she was caring for her mom. Gary and Linda traveled together frequently in their motor home, travel trailer or by car in the western United States and to his condo in South Padre Island, Texas. He loved camping with Linda and his Idaho family in their 5th wheel on their river-front property in Cascade and 4-wheeling in the Owyhee desert, where he looked for gold and arrowheads while watching for wildlife such as foxes, hawks, bobcats and eagles. Gary’s other interests included fishing, hunting, collecting coins, Chevrolet Corvettes and Camaros, and collecting arrowheads and firearms. He purchased gold claims in Idaho on which to prospect, and was always optimistic about finding gold.  In his later years he enjoyed day trading and kept a keen eye on the stock market.  Gary was funny, witty, charming, and handsome.  He had an excellent sense of humor, always having a new or old joke to tell friends and family.   

Gary leaves behind his loving partner and mate, Linda Lee Steinberger of Nampa and one child, Salie Anne Hawk Henry, of Irving, Texas. Gary’s family in the Boise area include step-daughter, Stephanie Jo Gibbons (husband Loyal); step-son, Brent Foster (wife Cindy); granddaughters, Andrea Gibbons-Moore (husband Brady); Erin Gibbons (partner Matt Sam); grandson, Chase Foster; nephew Ben Mosley (wife K.C. and baby Adley); and Linda’s sister-in-law Mary Mosley.  Gary’s Texas family includes his brother-in-law, Billy Jack Jackson; nephew, Gregory Carleton Jackson; nieces Cynthia Cecile Powell (husband Michael) and Lisa Kay Jackson Allison (husband Jody); and numerous first cousins, grand and great grand nieces and nephews.

A private family burial will be at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens, October 26th, 2017 at 12:00 noon.   A celebration of Gary’s life will be held at Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel, 415 12th Ave. So. – 208-442-8171 on Thursday, October 26th, at 2:00 p.m. with military honors by personnel from the Mt. Home Air Force Base.  Following the services, a reception and a good-bye toast to honor Gary will be held at Brick 29, 320 11th Avenue Ave. So.  Family and friends are welcome. An online guest book and the complete obituary are available at www.nampafuneralhome.com

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