Obituary

 Edna Ellen Potts Hawks

With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Edna Ellen (Potts) Hawks at a hospital in Meridian, Idaho, on March 22, 2025, at the age of 80. She left this world a beloved sister, aunt, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Her surviving family finds comfort in the belief that she has been reunited with her daughters Sue Ellen and Heidi.

Edna was born on February 7, 1945, in Ontario, Oregon, the fourth of seven children to Sam and Afton Potts. She spent her childhood in Arizona, Idaho, and Oregon, where she developed a deep love for nature. Exploring the wild areas around her home brought her the greatest contentment.

She attended high school in Payette, Idaho, where she met Ellis Hawks. They also shared the same church community, and during her senior year, Ellis proposed. They married on September 6, 1963, in the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. Together, they built a life centered around family, exploration, and learning.

Edna and Ellis raised their family in small towns across Idaho and Oregon. While balancing the demands of motherhood, Edna pursued her lifelong passion for geology. Rockhounding was more than a hobby to her - it was a way of understanding the world. She collected, studied, polished, and turned rocks into jewelry. She shared her enthusiasm with her children, often turning car trips into impromptu geology lessons. Her summers were filled with rock and gem shows, and her love of the land extended to native plants and wildlife. She often found edible roots and greens that she cooked and occasionally served to those willing.  

Although Edna was unable to pursue higher education herself, it became one of her greatest aspirations for her children. She instilled in them the belief that education was a gateway to opportunity. She loved seeing her children and grandchildren achieve their academic and professional goals. Later in life, she fulfilled a personal dream by attending a geology class at Boise State University.

Above all, Edna’s greatest pride was her family. She raised eight children, six of whom survive her, and adored every grandchild and great-grandchild who joined the family. She welcomed each new generation with love, support, and encouragement.

Edna was preceded in death by her daughters Sue Ellen Hawks and Heidi Hawks, her brother Robert Potts, and her sisters Hazel Harris and Barbara Scoggins. She is survived by her siblings Darlene (Willie, deceased) Fraley, Clifford (Jeannie) Potts, and Jimmy (Kayleen) Potts; her former husband Ellis Hawks; her children Krys (Bruce, deceased) Courtois, Ellis (Kristi) Hawks, Lucinda (Jefferey, deceased) Moebius, Joseph (Kerry) Hawks, Becca (Jeff Hawkins) Hawks, and Katie (Michael) Hobson. She also leaves behind 21 grandchildren and 13 great and step-great-grandchildren.

Edna taught us the world is vast and full of wonder, and we should embrace it. Each time we see a beautiful stone or a wild mushroom, we will remember her.

A celebration of Edna’s life will be held on May 24, 2025, at 11 a.m. in the large pavilion at Esther Simplot Park in Boise. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to a favored charity, honoring her love for exploration, creativity, and family.

Mom

I don't know how to write the words I have. I doubt that putting them on a blog is the right place. I tend to keep my updates light and funny, but sometimes life isn't light and it isn't funny.

Saturday, March 22, I got a call from the hospital letting me know my mother had been admitted. Over the last few years, as her mental health has degraded, I've had a lot of phone calls from the hospital, so I wasn't worried. I finished up a few tasks at home and then headed to the hospital.

I found Mom in pain but mentally alert. Moving her to an assisted living facility a month ago had turned out well. She was making friends and being more active. It seemed all the change had created some digestion problems, though. She had been admitted to the hospital with constipation and a mass in her bowels. In short order, we got her some hydration and pain pills, and then she was prescribed a MiraLAX treatment. As her pain started to subside a little, we began to prepare for her to drink the nasty liquid. Very quickly, though, things took a drastic turn. She had trouble breathing, followed by a seizure, and then loss of heartbeat. Mom had previously signed a DNR, so there was nothing more to do. In one hour, I went from teasing her about her medicine to her passing away. The final cause of death was listed as ischemic bowel. What was the root cause of the condition we will never truly know. It happened so fast and was so unexpected that everyone was left flummoxed. In every step of her care, she was tended to and treated with best practices. She was listened to and respected. Things just took a turn nobody expected.

In the end, I am thankful to the assisted living facility that sent her in for treatment. I'm thankful for the doctors and nurses who provided the best treatment they could with the information they had. I'm thankful that I got to the hospital in time to be with Mom. I'm not thankful to sit with another family member as they passed. I am sad, broken, and overwhelmed. I'm also grateful that Mom can finally rest. Her mental health had been a real burden to her for several years now, and I'm glad that she finally has peace. I'm also strangely grateful that her death was quick, without complications such as dementia (which terrified her) or cancer. I'm also mad. We did so much work to find her a safe place to live, and she finally seemed to be finding her feet, and she only got it for a month. It feels like the ultimate insult.

After Mom passed, my sisters quickly made their way to the hospital to be with me and say goodbye to Mom. I'm thankful that I don't have to do this alone and that I have my siblings with me. I have a lot of emotions; they are all blended together, and most days I don't know what to feel. I do know that I am glad she is at peace. I also know that losing her is difficult. I wish death weren't the due collected for living life. It is such a high cost, and I never feel ready to face it.

Going Home

Our last day we packed the van, and decided to drive down the entire strip. We realized that we had missed a lot of fun opportunities, but we were also ready to go home. We took a picture of the iconic welcome to Las Vegas sign on our way out. 

On our way home we did stop by a portable building beside the road advertising aliens and jerky. I wasn't sure what they had in common (I still don't) but I also knew we needed to stop.

It was a fun shop that did in fact sell delicious jerky and every alien trinket known to man, all with clean bathrooms.  

There were even real spaceships.

We only spent twenty minutes at the stop, but it was great fun.

We then drove, drove, and drove some more to get home. We stopped in Jackpot for gas and sandwiches. I also convinced Michael he needed to gamble with me. So in the gas station, I gambled $2, he gambled $1, and we left with $3.66. We beat the house! You can't ask for more than that.

We were happy to make it home that evening. We are glad we made a trip happen but I think we've all had our fill of Vegas. One day Michael and I may head back that direction to see the Valley of Fire, but we don't think Vegas is our style.

Trying to Do It All

Going to Vegas was going to be a quick trip, so we had a lot to do on our last day.

We started out at a bird sanctuary, were we saw lots of gorgeous birds and got assaulted by the wind. I was the only one who was really invested in the experience, so we didn't stay long.

It was also a monarch stopping area, but we were a little early in the season. We still got some fun photos, though.

After lunch we headed to walk the Strip. We started at Circus, Circus. Everyone played a few games, won a stuffed animal and watched a hula hoop show.

Michael even won a little stuffed giraffe for me. Unfortunately, it fell out of my pocket, but I hope she's making someone happy, somewhere.

We then started walking along the strip, and realized we were hot, tired, windblown, and in the boring area. So we turned around and started heading back. I saw a Pink Donut store a block off the strip and we made a detour, only to find it closed for remodeling. 

So we took a couple of pictures and headed back to our car, where we got lost. We ended up in a back alley with no garage access. Sam decided to parkour himself into the parking garage, at which he was successful, but it was the wrong garage and he couldn't go back the way he had come. Meanwhile, the rest of us had managed to get into the correct garage, so we shouted at Sam to head to the main entrance, so we could drive out and pick him up. 

Once we were all reunited we started heading over the MeowWolf's OmegaMart experience. By the time we got there, Michael and I were not using our kind words due to traffic and general stress, so we sent the kids in without us. The good news is that they had a ton of fun, and Michael and I were able to take a deep breath and talk like grown-ups again.

While the kids enjoyed the wild hands-on art exhibit, Michael and I shot some pool, played some video games and decompressed. The kids eventually joined us, tired and foot sore.

We stopped by Costco and fed everyone hot dogs and pizza and whatever else they could buy in the food court, after which everyone turned in for the night. Ethan and I decided that we needed to gamble before leaving Vegas so we each grabbed twenty dollars and headed out. Ethan finished the night broke and I had $16 dollars left, so I counted it as a win. 

Adventure in Sin City

Our first full day in Vegas we decided to find some nature. We traveled out to Red Rock Canyon and enjoyed the scenery. There were a lot of signs about wild tortoises, but to my great disappointment, none of them ever showed. The rocks and cacti were still a lot of fun.

Every person in our group completed the Junior Ranger program, said the oath, and earned their badge. I know it's silly, my kids mostly do it to humor me, but I find a lot of connection to Heidi every time I earn another junior ranger badge. I am going to be the oldest junior ranger in history, and that is fine by me.

We even got pictures as junior rangers.

We all look amazing, if I do say so myself.

Even if some photos look more like mugshots.

No opportunity to dab was passed up, I think I have an album's worth of this pose. No one quite knows why, but Grace insisted she dab everywhere we went in Vegas, so everyone got in on the act.

On the way back into town we decided to stop at a lion sanctuary. I had done research online and it looked like a true sanctuary and not a questionable private zoo. We pay approximately one million dollars, entered the sanctuary and realized we had made a mistake. The lions all had large areas to roam but no vegetation, enrichment, or habitat. They were all in what amounted to huge blank cages. It was very sad. It was the low point of the trip. We didn't stay there very long at all. We headed back to the hotel with heavy hearts.

That evening Grace and Bailey asked if we could try Raising Cane's for dinner. That sounded good to everyone, so off we went.

I, personally, had never heard of this fast food franchise, but I did enjoy my chicken fingers and Raising Cane's sauce. Everyone was happy to find a place that lived up to expectations.

After dinner we decided to head over the the Fremont Street experience. This is basically the Vegas experience in a ten block area that is only open to pedestrians. 

On the way there Michael made a surprise stop. He stopped at the famous pawn shop from Pawn Stars. Alas, it was closed, but that didn't stop the level of excitement that Bailey had for the stop. She was bouncing out of the car, calling her mother, and just loving life. Meanwhile, Grace is getting frustrated because she can't figure out why this is so exciting. I guess the girl never watched the History Channel. 

After the brief detour, we paid way too much for parking and headed into Fremont Street.

There was a beautiful ceiling with projections, live music on every corner, and as we quickly realized, it was also St. Patrick's Day, so a lot of people were celebrating. Sam and I were quickly overwhelmed, while Ethan and Bailey were loving the atmosphere. We didn't do much besides walk around and look in a few shops. After less than an hour, we decided to call it a night. 

We headed back to the hotel to relax and get some sleep. We were going to need it.

Change of Plans

We had a yurt booked on the Oregon Coast for a spring break adventure. We were planning on relaxing, playing board games, looking at lighthouses, exploring the tide pools and, if we were lucky, maybe seeing some whales. We were packed for a cold, rainy, laid-back spring break. Then our phones starting showing us storm alerts. Freeways were in danger of closing, blizzards were coming. I was looking forward to some family time, but not stuck in a snowstorm in a minivan level of family time.

After checking road conditions, and looking for any place that still had lodging or campsites, we realized we had very few options. The only option we could make work was Las Vegas, which was the exact opposite in every way from our original plan. So we packed swim suits and shorts and headed for a hotel outside of Vegas.

Ten hours later we arrived tired, but in one piece. We heated up some food in the microwave and then went to see what we could see.

Ethel M's Chocolate Factory was close and still open for forty-five minutes so we headed over. Alas, we got there the week the factory wasn't in operation so we didn't get to see the chocolates being made. But we did get to eat chocolate, and that is always good. Especially these chocolates. The factory also has a two-acre cactus garden, which the teenagers were not super excited about. That is until we got there.

We spent a lot of time looking at all the crazy plants and taking a ton of pictures.

As you can see, Libby was not able to make it, as her semester was still in session. I missed her cute face a ton, and I can't wait to see her this summer. Ethan and Bailey were able to get the time off work to come with us, so we were still a sizable group.

After exploring the garden and eating some more chocolate, we returned to the hotel to rest and maybe hit the hot tub after a long day of traveling.

We did have to stop to take a picture of the neon lights. The kids were fascinated with how this particular casino's lights twinkled and moved.

We got changed and headed down to check out the pool and hot tub. The pool was crystal blue and the temperature of snow melt in February. Sam was the only person who managed to get more than a couple toes in, but he never stayed in for longer than two minutes. The hot tub was not clear* and smelled bad, so we all just went to bed.

*in the hotel's defense the hot tub was clean and lovely for the rest of the time, thankfully!