Autumn Rain Hawk, 8

Autumn Rain Hawk, 8, “left this world for a better place” on Oct. 1, 2015.

A memorial service will take place starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home in Kalispell.

Autumn was born Aug. 1, 2007, in Kalispell to Nicole (Davidson) and Joe Hawk, the youngest of three children. Shortly after Autumn’s first birthday it was realized that this little girl was an even more special gift than her family had thought, being diagnosed as one of the few with Smith-Magenis syndrome. Although SMS came with many challenges, Autumn’s infectious smile and love for life overshadowed them and earned her a special place in many hearts. Over the years Autumn’s family and friends learned invaluable lessons in unconditional love, compassion and patience, making us all better people for it.

Autumn loved being around her family and friends. Whenever anyone would come to visit she was there to greet them with a smile and questions. Her favorite questions were “Who you?” even though she knew who you were; “What doing here?”; and “How do that?”. When she wasn’t busy checking on what everyone else was doing, Autumn could usually be found in front of her TV with her snacks and blanky, which she called her “lee-lee.” Cartoons were a must and she had many favorites, including Sponge Bob and Peppa Pig. She loved “Dragon Ball Z” and referred to herself as Gohan all the time. She also loved being around animals, with Hannah, Gunner and Sketch being her most recent animal companions. Autumn loved to sing and dance and when the music came on her eyes would light up with genuine happiness as she moved to the music. Never much of a talker, her quirky little sayings kept us laughing. She had her own unique way of putting things, more than once causing others to see things from a different perspective. She had the gift of a wonderful imagination and entertained not only herself, but others as well with the things she came up with. Autumn enjoyed having her finger and toenails painted and loved bright colors, especially pink. Blowing bubbles outside, sidewalk chalk and taking walks were all things Autumn enjoyed doing with her family and friends. She also, like any little sister, loved to mess with her older brothers, usually while they were playing video games, to get them to pay attention to something much more important, her.

 Autumn was very sociable and loved being the center of attention. She had a smile that would light up the room and people around her couldn’t help but smile back. If someone was having a bad day or was upset, that was soon forgotten as Autumn would have them laughing within moments of being in her presence. Her sparkling, beautiful blue eyes danced with mischief and one never knew what adventure she was embarking on next. Even though she was very independent she “let” her mom and older brothers do everything for her. She was very smart and surprised us daily. Growing up in Kalispell, she attended Mt. Preschool at Edgerton and physical therapy and speech at The Summit with Ms. Jenny and Ms. Tracy.

One thing Autumn never liked was having to leave somewhere she enjoyed being and saying goodbye. She was known to hide, wherever she could, under hedges, in closets, or behind furniture to put off the inevitable. There never was any guessing with Autumn; she always made it very clear what she did and did not want to do.

Autumn is survived by many that will miss her great smile and spunky attitude dearly; her parents, Joe (daddy boy) and Nicole (mommy girl); brothers, Chase (cha-cha), Bo (bo-bo); grandparents, Barb Bilbro, and Kathy and Andy Laursen; as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and very close, loving friends.

The world will never know another Autumn, and we will never forget her.

Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the Hawk family. To leave condolences for the Hawk family, please visit www.jgfuneralhome.com