Jim Hawk: Bees pleased gentle soul, who made them his livelihood

"Beeswax burns steadily and evenly with a brilliant, consistent flame. Your life takes on a different rhythm. All the grief that you've had to endure that day is suddenly less important," he told the Arizona Daily Star almost a decade ago.

Perhaps the comfort Hawk found in burning his hand-rolled beeswax candles will ease the grief of his family, his friends and those who patronized his bee-supply store. Hawk died last week at age 57.

Hawk, who rarely consumed alcoholic beverages — maybe a glass of wine or a beer during holiday celebrations — died Oct. 26 of cirrhosis of the liver while awaiting an organ transplant. Hawk and his wife, Suzy, celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary three days before his death, which may have been related to his diabetes.

Suzy met her future husband more than 20 years ago when both worked in the transportation department of the Tucson Unified School District.

"I knew him for two years through work and I always just absolutely adored him because he was the sweetest, kindest, warmest individual. But he was very shy," Suzy Hawk said. "Finally I had to do the asking. We were never apart from the first time I told him I liked him."

Hawk was already interested in bees when he met his future wife. It was a casual visit to a co-worker's house that sparked his interest.

Joanne Medsker has known Hawk since the mid-1970s. He was visiting Medsker and her husband and was curious about a box hive they had in their yard. Her husband gave the hive to Hawk and "it's amazing how Jim took off with it."

"It suited him so well because he was a peaceful man. He had such a calmness around him. That's great for bees," she said.

Hawk's interest soon turned into a livelihood. In 1981, while still working as a bus dispatcher for TUSD, he bought Southwest Bee Supply, now located on South Sixth Avenue. On weekends, Hawk tended to the beehives he kept on the outskirts of Tucson. During the week, on breaks from his TUSD job, he'd run the store with the help of his parents.

"He loved his bees," Suzy Hawk said. "When we moved out to this property (in Three Points) — and it was for our bees — there wasn't anybody out here but a cow in a field."

It was spending time in the quiet of nature with his bees that Hawk found peaceful, his wife said.

Carol Shinsky worked with Jim Hawk at TUSD and offered to donate a part of her liver when he needed an organ transplant, though she wasn't a compatible match.

"Being in transportation was a way to earn money, but … the bees were his passion," she said. "Sometimes he'd have hives in his truck parked outside of the office and there would be bees flying around. He was a very laid-back kind of guy and it was perfect for him to work with bees."

After 16 years with TUSD, Hawk left his dispatcher's job to work full time with his hives and at the bee store. He sold supplies for beekeepers and candle- and soap-makers, and gallons and gallons of raw honey from his own hives and the hives of other Southern Arizona beekeepers. In 2001, Hawk estimated he was selling 22,000 pounds of honey a year.

"He always got the best, the least processed," Shinsky said. "It wasn't all honey his bees made, because that wasn't enough. He always searched out the best. You'd go into his shop and tell him you wanted a gallon of honey and he'd say, 'You have to try this and this,' and he knew all the different nuances of the flavors."

Roy Wilson met Hawk about 18 months ago, when he went to the Southwest Bee Supply store looking for a protective bee suit. Wilson was planning to start a beekeeping and bee-removal business.

"I never had anyone to talk to before about bees," he said. "He was my book of knowledge. If I had a question about something, he would answer it the best he could for me. I'd ask him about a problem I'm having in the hive and he'd offer suggestions on how to take care of it.

"That's Jim for you. He takes everybody as a friend when he meets you," Wilson said. "I don't think there's a bad bone in that man's body."

Wilson eventually took a job at the bee-supply shop and now runs the business.

Wilson and other friends and family will gather at 1 p.m. Saturday at East Lawn Palms Chapel, 5801 E. Grant Road, for Hawk's memorial service.

Life Stories

This feature chronicles the lives of recently deceased Tucsonans. Some were well-known across the community. Others had an impact on a smaller sphere of friends, family and acquaintances. Many of these people led interesting — and sometimes extraordinary — lives with little or no fanfare. Now you'll hear their stories. Past "Life Stories" are online at go.azstarnet.com/lifestories.