- Date Of Birth: April 2, 1924
- Date Of Death: June 26, 2022
- State: Idaho
Twilla Hawks, 98 of Gooding, ID died Sunday, June 26, 2022 at DeSano Place Assisted Living in Gooding.
Twilla was born on April 2, 1924 in Horton, Kansas. The family moved from Horton to West Plains, MO where she lived until she was five. They subsequently moved to Lakota, North Dakota, Lisbon, North Dakota and Hiawatha, Kansas so her father could work on ranches. When Twilla was 14, the family moved to Wendell, ID where she graduated from High School in 1942. After High School, she worked at the Gooding Courthouse and the Rationing Office during World War II.
In July, 1945, she began her employment at the Gooding Seed Company for Robby Robertson and his children, Don & Mary Jean Simis and Larry & Carolyn Robertson. She worked as a secretary, bookkeeper and accountant for 61 years until her retirement in May, 2006 due to health reasons. Her love of farming, agriculture and plants was well-known. She raised thousands of dozens of plants in her greenhouses which she sold through the Gooding Seed Company and privately.
In 1949, Twilla married Don C. Hawks of Gooding and they divorced in 1986.
Twilla served as secretary for the American Red Cross and was a member of the VFW Auxiliary. She enjoyed bowling and was a member of Gutter Gussie’s and Thelma’s Beauty Salon bowling teams.
Her varied skills and interests led her to being named as the most valuable employee by Gooding’s Business and Professional Women’s Club in 1995.
In 2006, Twilla became ill with ovarian cancer. She beat cancer but contracted Guillain Barre Syndrome in which her body’s immune system attacked itself, especially her hands and feet, leaving her wheelchair bound and requiring her retirement from The Gooding Seed Company. She continued to live on the farm until 2018 when she moved, under duress, to Bennett Hills and then DeSano Place.
Twilla was preceded in death by her father, Blueferd Orchard in 1981, her mother Mary-Jane Orchard in 2000, her siblings: Claribel Orchard, John Orchard, Lenora Rutherford, and most recently her younger sister Shirley Knodel in 2021.
She is survived by her daughter, Donna (Jim) McCullough of Cedar Rapids, IA; two grandsons: Michael Murphy of Fort Worth, TX and Daniel (Erin) Murphy of Minneapolis, MN; and one great-grandson, Andrew Murphy of Mount Vernon, IA. Additional survivors include her nieces: Teena (Craig) Rasmussen of Kula HI and Connie (Martin) Helleson of Portland, OR.
The family would like to invite you to a luncheon and fellowship to follow at
The Hummingbird Coffee Co. at 125 7th Ave. West here in Gooding.
