Edward Hawkins Jr.

Photograph of Edward, obtained from his obituary.

Edward Hawkins Jr. left this world on June 11th after contracting the coronavirus while incarcerated at Terrell Unit, a prison in Texas. He spent the last two weeks of his life at Jennie Sealy Hospital. Born on November 27th, 1956 in Lafayette, Louisiana, Edward was 63 years old when he died. He is survived by his two biological children, seven step-children, and three siblings, and by a host of grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, all of whom he loved dearly.

Edward, known as “Hawk” by family and friends, was a religious man and a member of Jerusalem Baptist Church of Gavelston, Texas. His obituary from the funeral home that hosted his service reads, “He loved the Lord and would encourage others to put the Lord first in any and every step of life. His healing words of support would always be a message from God.”

“He walked to the beat of his own drum,” wrote friend Barbara Holloway in Edward’s funeral guestbook. “If he called you Friend, he would be there for you. His smile and his sh@# talking will be missed :) See you in paradise my Friend.” 

Edward enjoyed spending time with his family, cooking meals, and dancing. He also liked fishing on his boat, riding on his motorcycle, and trail riding. He had an excellent sense of style and treasured Cabana hats, Stacy Adams shoes, and old-school Special Suits.

Edward grew up in Galveston, Texas, where he attended public schools. After high school, he enlisted in the US army and served in Vietnam. Upon returning from his service, Edward earned several degrees as an electrician, auto mechanic, and music engineer. Prior to his incarceration, Edward worked as a Supervisor at Tubular Services, a metal processing company based in Houston.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s mishandling of the virus, which includes its legal battle to overturn an emergency order to provide basic health protections in prisons, has converted Texas prisons into deadly viral hotspots. By June 4th, more than 6,600 incarcerated people and almost 1,000 prison staff members had tested positive, making Texas the state with the most prison-related COVID-19 cases in the country.  

While activists have urged for compassionate release from prisons to slow the spread of the virus and save lives, governor Gregg Abbott has instead imposed lockdowns on infected facilities. At some points, this has meant that almost ⅓ of the state’s incarcerated people have been confined to their cells without access to showers or commissary. Meals are delivered to cells in brown-paper bags, and many sick men have hidden their symptoms out of fear of being forced into solitary confinement.

The deplorable conditions in Texas prisons have killed dozens of incarcerated people and staff, including Edward. Edward’s friends and family, who he always opened his home to in times of need, will miss him deeply.

This memorial was written by MOL team member Andrew Kornfeld with information from reporting by Marie Gottschalk of In These Times and Edward’s obituary in the Carnes Brothers Funeral Home website.