Carlos N. Hawkins was born November 7, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois to Annie Sutton & Joseph Hawkins. Carlos was the youngest of two children. His brother, Joseph Jr., preceded him in death.

Carlos attended DuSable High School in Chicago, II. In 1945, Carlos joined the Army and served his country during World War II. After he was discharged in 1948, he continued his employment at the U.s. Post Office. In 1981, Carlos retired from the post office after over 30 years of service. After he lost his sight in 1989, he went to Hines, II where he was trained to read Braille, speak Spanish, and learned to adapt with his visual impairment.

In 1952, Carlos married Ruth Bohannon. To this union, they had three children: David (deceased), Judy, and Peter. On June 17, 1978, Carlos married Rose M. Lewis. Throughout their 34 years of marriage, they enjoyed entertaining for friends and family. He was a very good handyman, enjoyed painting and other different projects around the house.

Carlos was a connoisseur of jazz music from the 1940’s to the 1960's! Some even thought of him as a musician because of his great knowledge of music. Carlos had an enormous record collection which he converted into thousands of personal cassette tapes over the years. A few of his favorite artists include Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughn. Carlos could recite the artist, title, band members, producer, and year the song was composed. He also enjoyed watching sports such as baseball, basketball, and football.

On April 18, 2012, Carlos went home to be with the Lord. With loving gratitude, we thank God for every gift of love he shared throughout his life. He leaves to cherish his memory: his wife, Rose ("Rosie"); 2 children, Judy (Hosten), and Peter (Debra); 7 grandchildren, Dwayne, Tanya, Jon Anthony, Shani, Jamilah, Samantha, and Kevon; 3 great-grandchildren, Sean, Cinque, and Imani and a host of family members and friends.