QUITMAN HAWKINS, former Owner and Teacher of the first Isshin Ryu Martial Arts Schools in Buffalo and Batavia, New York, entered into eternal rest on February 18, 2023.
Mr. Hawkins was born in Lackawanna, New York to the late Levi and Katherine Hawkins. He attended elementary school in Lackawanna before relocating to Buffalo. After moving to Buffalo, Mr. Hawkins attended East High School, where he excelled in the sports of basketball, football, and baseball. Along with his teammates, the East High School basketball team won the Harvard Cup Championship for four consecutive years.
After graduation, Mr. Hawkins worked for the Post Office as assistant clerk at the Kensington office location in Buffalo. He also worked as Manager of the Touch of Class Evening Spot and Parkway Liquors.
Mr. Hawkins joined in partnership in 1965 with the late John Overton to open the first Isshin Ryu Karate School in Buffalo at 773 Main Street. The school, Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Overton were featured in an article written by Mr. Warner Hessler, Editor of the Sports Department of the Buffalo News. Within a few years, the second school opened its doors in Batavia, New York.
Through the martial arts program, Mr. Hawkins and Mr. Overton served as Assistant Directors for the Model City Youth Program, teaching young men and women the proper methods of self-control and discipline, along with harmony of the mind and body. They received many awards for their work with the city youth.
In later years, Mr. Hawkins and his family relocated to the state of Maryland, where he continued to work with young people under the then mayor, Marion Berry “Summer Youth Program.” Mr. Hawkins was also an entrepreneur and owned several businesses in the Maryland area, where he hired young people and seniors who were unemployed.
Beside his love for teaching, Mr. Hawkins’ other activities included his love for motorcycles and riding all over the country with his fellow club members, the “Banderleros Motorcycle Club.” Mr. Hawkins was a member of the Animal Rights Society, the Harley Owners Group, the National Rifle Association, and the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Society.
Survivors include his wife, Gwendolyn Staton Hawkins; one son, Parrish Anthony Hawkins; one brother, Eric Hawkins; and a host of other family and friends.
The family will receive friends Saturday, February 25, 2023, 11 AM at Greater Love Fellowship, 2205 Genesee Street. Funeral Services to follow at 12 PM. Entombment Forest Lawn Cemetery, Serenity Mausoleum.
The family will receive friends Saturday, February 25, 2023, 11 AM at Greater Love Fellowship, 2205 Genesee Street. Funeral Services to follow at 12 PM. Entombment Forest Lawn Cemetery, Serenity Mausoleum.
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