Remembering Mike Hawley, 1960-2018

| Obituaries | West Seattle news

The family of former West Seattleite Mike Hawley is sharing this remembrancce:

CW4 Michael Warren “Mike” Hawley (U.S. Army Ret.), a resident of Dothan, AL, passed away on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 from injuries sustained in a helicopter crash in Granger, TX. Funeral services were held this past Monday, August 27, with burial following at Meadowlawn Memorial Park in Enterprise, AL.

Mike was born August 14, 1960 in Seattle and spent the early part of his life in West Seattle. He was a 1978 graduate of West Seattle High School and attended South Seattle Community College and received his Bachelor’s Degree from Excelsior College and was currently working on a Masters Degree. Following school, he joined the U.S. Army 2nd Battalion Rangers, then later left and re-signed as a Warrant Officer and attended flight school. He served as a helicopter pilot for over 20 years prior to his retirement. Mike was enjoying his military retirement working as a part-time contract helicopter instructor pilot in Texas. He has resided in Dothan since 2006 and was an avid golfer, enjoyed fishing, and loved smoking a good cigar.

Mike’s career highlights as a pilot are as follows: B Co., 2nd Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 75th Infantry (Ranger), (SOCOM) Ft. Lewis, WA, Special Operations Infantryman; B Co, 1st Battalion, 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment), Ft. Campbell, KY, AH-6J Special Operations Pilot;); 1-14th Aviation Training Battalion, Ft. Rucker, AL, Senior Instructor Pilot/Master Gunner OH58D(R); 1-17th Air Cavalry Squadron Fort Bragg, NC; 1st Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, Standardization Instructor Pilot OH-58D(R); Blackwater Aviation, Baghdad, Iraq, Lead Pilot MD-530F; DynCorp, Kabul, Afghanistan (Special Mission Wing) Counter Narco-Terrorism Program, Standardization Instructor Pilot Russian Mi-17; Utility Aviation, Brunner Aerospace, Georgetown, TX, Senior Instructor Pilot MD-530F.

Survivors include his wife, Tonisha Hawley; his daughters, Audrey Hawley, Alexandria Hawley, and Heather Hawley; his in-laws, Harold and Mary Sconyers; sisters, Jackie (Bruce) Leland and Kathie (Jon) Hall; brother, Jeff Hawley; sister-in-law, Tangela (Kevin) Souders; brother-in-law, Jeff (Erica) Sconyers; nieces and nephews, Michael Maier, Rick Maier, Marilyn Souders, Maddie Souders, Maredith Sconyers, and Garrison Sconyers; grandchildren, Chelsea and Jesslyn; 3 great-nieces also survive. Mike was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Marjorie Hawley.

Mike will be greatly missed by his loving family and amazing friends. He had a true love for life and never met a stranger. Everyone who knew him loved his infectious laugh and sense of humor which led to his natural ability to make others laugh.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

Craig August 29, 2018 (7:46 pm)

Wow. His resume is amazing. SOAR, 75th Ranger, and on and on. This gentleman was a motivated, smart and reliable guy who served his country at the highest levels. My condolences to his family and professional peers.

miws August 29, 2018 (9:08 pm)

Condolences to Mike’s family and friends. Although I don’t remember much about our interactions, I palled around with Mike back about 50 or so years ago. His neighborhood was my “2nd neighborhood”, as my aunt and uncle lived on the same block and associated with his parents. I hung out a lot in that neighborhood as it was just four blocks away from my own. I also rode the bus with his mom maybe in the late ’70’s/early ’80’s. I can definitely see a resemblance between adult Mike and his dad.—–Mike Stahl

ScubaFrog August 30, 2018 (1:01 pm)

RIP Mike, a Patriot and Hero by the sound of that incredible service record. My condolences to Mike’s family and friends.

Eddie August 30, 2018 (4:11 pm)

My condolences. Thanks for sharing. I wish i had met Mike and had gotten to know him some.

Bradley September 1, 2018 (12:02 pm)

What an impressive military career and resume. It sounds like he died doing what he loved. I just feel bad for his family and for that industry losing such an experienced professional.

Sorry, comment time is over.