A.L. Hawes of Memphis, Tennessee, passed away on September 5, 2026, at the age of 90.

A.L. was born on May 21, 1936, in Trumann, Arkansas, to Lillian and Alvie Lee Hawes Sr. He grew up alongside his four brothers, Harlan, Carl, Gobel, and Elmer. Following the Great Flood of 1937, the Hawes family moved to Greenfield, Arkansas, where A.L. spent much of his early life.

In 1956, A.L. left Greenfield and moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he began working for Otis Electric. It was in Memphis that he met and began dating Barbara Ann Patrick, (the love of his life)! A.L. and Barbara were married in 1958 and shared 58 years of marriage together. They were blessed with two children, DeWayne and Terri.

A.L.'s faith was at the center of his life. He firmly believed in the Bible's promise of the resurrection and dedicated his life to serving Jehovah God. He was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses on September 9, 1962. By the mid-1960s, he was serving as a Service Servant, and in 1972, under the newly established elder arrangement, he was appointed as an elder and served a total of 54 years in that capacity. For 29 of those years, he faithfully served as the Presiding Overseer of the North Congregation in Frayser.

Throughout those many years of service, A.L. had the privilege of conducting numerous weddings and funerals, and of sharing his faith and the resurrection hope with others. His life reflected a deep commitment to his family, his congregation, and his God Jehovah. He was known as a humble, kind and loving shepherd.

A.L. was also a man of many talents. He was a minister, a skilled clutch and gearbox mechanic, a welder, and a guitar player. He loved cars and was especially proud to be an “Oldsmobile man.” Anyone who knew him also knew that his cars were always kept exceptionally clean.

A.L. was a hardworking man throughout his life. He spent five years as a brake foreman at Pure Automotive in Memphis, 25 years with Eugene D. Wilson Company rebuilding clutches, and another 15 years with Laycook Products rebuilding torque converters. After a lifetime of hard work and providing for his family, he retired at the age of 62.

A.L. leaves behind his son, DeWayne and his wife Teresa; his daughter, Terri and her husband Tony Davis; his grandchildren, Cory and his wife Casey, and Chelsea and her husband Darren Henry; and his great-grandchildren, Hudson and Emma Hawes.

A.L.'s was a life marked by hard work, devotion to family, and, above all, faithful service to Jehovah. For those who loved him, his firm confidence in the resurrection hope provides comfort and the beautiful expectation of seeing him again.