K Hawk Mahoney (Kevin Joseph Mahoney), age 73, Stetsonville, passed away on Wednesday, October 23rd at Aspirus Medford Hospital in Wisconsin.
A private family viewing will be held at Flynn Memorial Home on October 31st, 2024 with the burial to follow at Gates of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York. Hawk will be buried with his beloved grandparents, Joseph and Ellen Meade.
A celebration of Hawk’s life will be held on December 12th, 2024 at Hotel Marshfield in Marshfield, Wisconsin from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. We invite others to share their stories and experiences with Hawk. We will begin sharing these stories at 5:30pm.
Hawk was born on December 12th, 1950 in New York City at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital to Gerald Thomas Mahoney and Margaret Meade Mahoney. His family and New York friends grew up with him as Kevin Joseph Mahoney, and much like his mom, no one could ever forget he was part of the “December birthday club.”
He was a graduate of Fordham Preparatory School and went on to earn a degree in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He later also added a master’s in social work from UW-Milwaukee.
Hawk was a man who collected and told stories no matter where he was or what he was doing. He was proud of his childhood connections and his impeccable parking skills gained at Mahoney Motors. Although he later shifted away from architecture and engineering, he was always proud of the projects he contributed to at Johnson Controls and specifically his work as climate control engineer on the Reuss Federal Building in downtown Milwaukee.
In September, Hawk celebrated 42 years of sobriety, and he dedicated most of his professional life to social work focusing on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse. He remained incredibly active in the Alcoholics Anonymous community, serving in a variety of roles and frequently attending meetings no matter where he was. Hawk was truly busier in retirement than most as he continued to find ways to support others and enjoyed opportunities to try new things like white water rafting at age 73.
In the last year, Hawk came out of retirement to drive school buses for Athens School District. He especially enjoyed counting eagle sightings with some of the kids and helping brighten a kid’s day if he could.
When Hawk wasn’t working, telling stories, or celebrating life with AA events and meetings, he was an avid reader, enjoyed road biking, studying the Ojibwe language, and loved traveling to be with family. He passed on a deep respect and appreciation for nature and all its creatures. He never stopped reflecting and trying to grow.
Hawk is survived by his four children from two marriages: Brian (mother: the late Bette Ann Mahoney), Kathleen, Shannon Best (Mahoney), and Joseph (mother: Teresa Mahoney, nee O’Connor), daughter-in-law Kelly (Brian), sons-in-law Shawn (Kathleen) Trudeau and Adam (Shannon) Best; grandchildren Kiera and Kellan Mahoney and Meade, Declan and Ronan Best. He is further survived by his sister Janet Mahoney of Bayside, WI and his niece, Jahna (Peters) Lindsay-Jones and nephew, Chris Peters. Hawk made sure his family knew they were loved “big big” and often.
Hawk is preceded in death by his father, Gerald Thomas Mahoney, and his mother, Margaret Meade Mahoney.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the MGA Foundation c/o Mahoney Scholarship Fund (https://www.mgagolf.org/donate) to support underprivileged youth in their educational endeavors.
Condolences may be sent to www.rembsfh.com.
Sláinte.
Author: News Desk
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