Calvin Coolidge Senior High School
Washington, DC
"Class of 1965"
Patricia Ann Pringle Hawkins
August 26, 1947 to May 8, 2024
This page can be accessed only
from the "Memorial" page.
Remembering Pat
WE SPEAK YOUR NAME
Patricia Ann Hawkins‘ Life Journey
(Inspired by Pearl Cleage “We Speak Your Names”)
Because we are spiritual people, born of spiritual people, we celebrate your spirituality. Because we are free people, born of free people, we celebrate your freedom.
Because we are wise people, born of wise people, we celebrate your wisdom. And because we are loving people born of loving people, we celebrate your love.
Patricia Ann Pringle Hawkins , We speak your name!
Patricia, affectionately known as Patricia Ann, Trish Ann, and Pat entered this world on August 26, 1947, full of love as the daughter of Rosa Lee and Johnnie Pringle. She came through a line of deeply spiritual strong black Gullah-Geechee women from South Carolina with footprints leading to Senegal and Burkina Faso West Africa. Her ancestral love and spirituality were her superpowers.
Trish Ann grew up in Washington, D.C. She was always a “girly girl” who knew how to stand out as the middle child of seven: Laurane, Eddie, Trudy, George, Sharon, and Yuletta. Her parents would comment that when they took Trish Ann down home to South Carolina, they would have to carry her because she didn’t want her feet to get dirty on the dirt roads. Graduating from Coolidge High School in 1965, Patricia easily left her mark of exceptionalism on each of us coupled with love, and elegance but always offering grace— we know she made her parents proud.
Patricia Ann, We speak your name!
Patricia was raised in the Carolina Missionary Baptist Church—the Pringle family's church; everywhere she turned there were cousins, uncles, and aunties—every Sunday was like a family reunion. She loved working in Sunday school with Susie Moody and Ramona Osborne and serving on the usher board. She always supported church fundraisers, like the baby contests (and yes Joi and Joselynn always seemed to come in first place).
And who could forget the “Pretty Pats” at Carolina—Patricia Pringle and Patricia Cunningham. They were like sisters – they churched together, traveled together, lived together, partied together, and joined the LaVondrells social club together with Eva, Barbara, and Ellen. But they also studied together, receiving bachelor’s degrees from Federal City College in 1972 and master’s degrees from Howard University in 1977 (HU U Know). The “Pretty Pats” were so close; we were certain that the Pringle and Cunningham families were related—are you sure we aren’t related?
Her bestie Suzette was her closest friend for 58 years and Joi’s godmother. We all remember riding in Pat’s yellow B-210 hatchback, going to kiddie cabarets, eating ice cream at Farrell’s, shopping at Landover Mall, attending Broadway plays, taking shopping trips to NY, and all the crab feasts. Suzette said Pat gave her more than just friendship; she gave Suzette an extended family.
And then there were her girls—her sister-in-law Lucille; Francis Luckette and Yuletta McDonald from Coolidge High School; and her EPA girls Esther, Lorna, Trish, Val and Ellen with all the stories about Waterside Mall, the Superfund Program, and the Blacks in Government conferences (what goes on at EPA stays at EPA). They were more than Pat’s girls; they were her sisters.
Patricia Ann, We speak your name!
On June 14, 1980, Patricia married Joseph Allen Hawkins. They met through their mutual friends, Evelyn and Less Moon. Little did Joe know that Pat and Evelyn had schemed to get Pat and Joe together because Pat just had to have him. She used to say she was in love, or on L Street as she liked to call it. Their scheming worked because they were married for over 43 years. They were a match made in heaven.
Patricia taught us about real love, passion, and the key to holding a black family together when there are so many things trying to pull families apart. They were the perfect picture of black love—a love that is better, truer, deeper—a love that’s eternal.
Pat also loved her family deeply, calling her beautiful black babies—Joi, J’Vaughn, and Joselynn, her triple blessing. And she was blessed with another triple blessing, her grandchildren—Ava Rose, Lyle, and Jaxson. Her children and grandchildren were everything to her, she was so proud of them especially—Joi with her mid-day moments and family prayer call ministry; Coach Hawk who all the children adored and attended his basketball games; Joselynn getting her Doctorate degree; Ava Rose on the honor roll and winning awards dancing with the Five678 Studio of Dance, she loved playing games with Lyle on her iPad, and reading to Jaxson and trying to steal a kiss when he wasn’t looking. She always found energy to pour love into her babies.
Patricia Ann, We speak your name!
Pat and Joe eventually moved to the Tantallon Community in Fort Washington Maryland where they lived on Amer Drive for 35 years. It was the gathering place for family and friends where they hosted legendary celebrations. She taught us how to be professional crab eaters (y’all remember going to Phil and Nic’s); how to dress like fashionistas, yet how to rock a casual jogging suit. She didn’t let the pandemic stop her; turning her garage into a safe place to gather—we called it “The Hawkins Inn.” She loved following people on Facebook, sewing, playing words with friends, water aerobics with her girls, and she was the photobook queen—she made photobooks for every occasion (quiet as its kept, she was a regular with the CVS photo team). But she loved music especially Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, and hand dancing with Joe, but whenever Nelly’s song came on, she would drop everything to be the first one on the dance floor “Is it getting hot in here?”—(if you know you know).
Patricia Ann, We speak your name!
Pat and Joe joined Ebenezer AME Church under the spiritual guidance of Reverend Dr. Grainger Browning and Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning. She loved that each sermon was tied to current events that inspired Black empowerment for the culture. You could find Pat and Joe sitting in the balcony on the left side as part of the balcony ministry. She loved the music ministry led by Minister Byron Cage and Minister Ricky Dillard. She faithfully attended Ebenezer’s “God is a Wonder Women’s Spiritual Retreat” led by Reverend Dr. Jo Ann Browning—she signed up to attend this year, but all of us will now attend in Patricia’s honor. Her proudest moment was when she was finally able to stand up on Mother’s Day as a grandmother—she would refer to her three grandchildren as “allllllll” her grandchildren.
Community outreach was her passion. She was so proud when Joi and Joselynn started the annual Oh Joy Ministry of Giving Christmas Campaign to support single mothers at St. Ann’s Center for Children, Youth and Families. She was also a missionary at heart, regularly making calls and visits to the sick and the elders. Her thoughtfulness was healing. She knew how to minister simply through love, all while she was serving as Aunt Thelma’s caregiver and guardian for almost 10 years.
Patricia Ann, We speak your name!
She loved her Pringle family! She never missed a Pringle Family Reunion. In fact, in 2016, she won the Pringle Pride Award for attending the most reunions. It meant something to her when her dad Johnnie told the family during his transition, to stick together; Patricia became the glue making our family inseparable.
Patricia loved to love! She always knew how to draw us in and hold on tight. She paved the way with her example for us to follow and then she sent us out into the world to be better, truer, deeper. She was one of the greatest gifts God could have ever given us because in her presence we always felt good – because in her presence, we always felt God.
Patricia Ann, We speak your name!
Her calm presence could change any atmosphere. Even when she was challenged with cancer, it never stopped her. Just like her parents who also battled cancer before her, she fought with a smile on her face and faith in her heart; as we wore “Fight Like a Girl” tee- shirts to encourage Pat, it was God who was right in the middle of this battle fighting for her.
Even Pat’s oncologist said he never really understood faith until his favorite patient Patricia Hawkins became his greatest example. She would ring the bell after successfully completing her treatments—looking back, we are extremely thankful that God gave us five more years.
In Pat’s final days, she was sassy, vibrant, quick-witted, and could hear everything and I mean everything—she was always right in the middle orchestrating our every move with her photographic memory. We would visit her for what we called “Popcorn and Puzzles with Pat.” She would greet us with a big smile, an even bigger wave, and a hug and kiss.
On communion Sunday, a few days before her transition, she streamed the Ebenezer church service and instructed us to serve her communion with her Ebenezer family. Then, early Wednesday morning on May 8th at 4:00 AM, surrounded by her family, she peacefully transitioned to her next place of blessing with all the Gullah-Geechee Pringles before her across the African diaspora. A few days before Pat’s transition, her grandson Jaxson could be heard running through his house shouting Bye Bye Grandma Bye Bye (the babies always know don’t they).
Patricia leaves to cherish and celebrate her legacy, her husband Joseph Hawkins, two daughters Joi Hawkins and Joselynn Hawkins Fountain (Lionel), a son J’Vaughn Hawkins, allllll her grandchildren Ava Rose Shiver, Lyle Fountain and Jaxson Fountain; and five living siblings Laurane Jackson, Johnnie “Eddie” Pringle Jr. (Lucille), George Pringle, Sharon Pringle, and Yuletta Pringle; niece Angela Pringle (Elena), nephews Eugene Jackson, Gregory Jackson (Christina), Victor Pringle, Alonzo Pringle; great-niece Alona Pringle; great nephew Alonzo Pringle Jr, great-great nieces Alaya Gilbert and Arya Frye; special cousins Emma (Neu) Oats and William Henderson, extended family Adolph R. Shiver and Dr. Michelle Shiver; Suzette Dent, Shelia Bullock, Steven Dent (Keisha), Sean Ward, Sheena Blackwell (Calvin), Jasmine Haskins; and a host of family and friends.
Patricia Ann, We speak your name!
Because we are spiritual people, born of spiritual people, we celebrate your spirituality. Because we are free people, born of free people, we celebrate your freedom.
Because we are wise people, born of wise people, we celebrate your wisdom. And because we are loving people born of loving people, we celebrate your love.
We will speak your name Patricia Ann Pringle Hawkins; we count it an honor and a privilege, we will always speak your name!
Amen, Asé, It is So!
