Public servant, social justice activist and daughter of Idaho pioneers, Ida Louise (Daugharty) Hawkins passed away at her home of 61 years in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on June 13, 2016.

Ida was born on Jan. 31, 1922, to Gordon (Bud) Daugharty and Ruby Taleen (Wilson) Daugharty at her grandparent’s home in Clark Fork, Idaho. Her grandmother, Josephine Ida (Revoi) Daugharty, acted as mid-wife. Ida felt fortunate to have lived her life in North Idaho and would smile when recalling her cousin saying that she was born between the towns of Hope and Paradise.

Ida began school in Sandpoint at age 5. She went to the library every day; starting a lifelong passion for books. She graduated from high school in Troy, Mont., excelling in drama and music. Ida achieved a B.A. in education at Eastern Washington College in 1943. One of her proudest achievements was being named to the “Golden Circle” honor society for her leadership and organizational skills. She taught one year in Marysville, Wash., where she realized her true vocation was to work on social justice issues related to poverty, health care, housing, youth and the elderly. In 1945, she was accepted to Ohio State University to pursue a master’s degree in social services.

Ida married and was widowed by Robert Whiteley in 1949, and gave birth to Robert “Bob” Raymond Whiteley in 1950. In 1953, she married Coeur d’Alene surgeon and physician James Wesley Hawkins, M.D. They had five children: Betsy Taleen, Mary Louise, John Wesley, Ronald Jay and Richard Gordon. Dr. Hawkins died April 3, 1972.

Ida was a vigorous proponent for social justice particularly when principles or rights were challenged. Her ideas and actions were often ahead of her time and triggered both resistance and respect from people across her community, state and nation. In 1972, she ran for Kootenai County Commissioner, beating five men to win the Democratic nomination. Although she lost by a narrow margin, this experience only affirmed her beliefs about the rights and responsibility of citizens to influence effective government.

Ida, a charter member of the Coeur d’Alene chapter of the League of Women Voters, served as state president. She directed studies, influenced legislation, and built programs throughout the state to address the problems of youth, the aging, housing, employment, education, environmental quality, discrimination and poverty. In the ’60s and ’70s, she secured Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO)-funded programs for North Idaho, contributing to the development of Head Start, youth employment programs and senior services. She also organized the Governor’s Conference on Housing in 1971 resulting in improved housing and day care facilities throughout Idaho. She secured funding for senior citizen programs for North Idaho, ran a major funding campaign for Coeur d’Alene Homes and was an active fundraiser for Hospice of North Idaho.

Ida was a charter member of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance to conserve, protect and restore the environment of North Idaho. She served the local and state Hanford Information and Education Network as State Chairman in order to educate the public about radioactive emissions.

Ida was dedicated to the support of young people as a teacher, mother and political advocate. She was a PTA and Girl Scout troop organizer. She influenced legislation to secure free textbooks for students at the upper grade levels and free lunch programs for students throughout Idaho.

Alarmed at the lack of civil rights and social support for America’s youth, Ida dedicated herself to juvenile justice system reform. She was invited to work with Idaho law enforcement, local, state and national agencies, social advocates, political representatives and renowned scholars to better serve at-risk minors. She became a nationally-recognized expert on juvenile justice and served as one of 50 state based advisers for the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. She influenced federal and state laws to separate juvenile and adult offenders in jails throughout the United States, and ensured an adequate juvenile justice facility was built in Coeur d’Alene.

For her dedication to social justice and human rights, Hawkins received the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations 2004 Civil Rights Award. She was awarded a Centennial Achievement Award for her research into the ethnic populations of Idaho as part of Idaho’s Centennial Celebration. She was recognized for her outstanding public service by governors Cecil Andrus and John Evans and Senator Frank Church.

As committed as she was to influencing social change and reform, she was equally ready to enjoy and celebrate life. She created a home where friends of her children were always welcome. She was a great cook and seamstress who also enjoyed cultivating roses. Family reunions and Memorial Day weekend gatherings at the Clark Fork Cemetery were important events. She loved music, and enjoyed singing songs in harmony with her girls. A football fan, she rooted for her two youngest sons at their high school games, enjoyed a lifelong passion for college football and was a lifelong Buckeyes fan. She celebrated the Super Bowl as if it were a national holiday.

Ida loved to tell stories, and had an infectious, spontaneous laugh. One of her fond memories is of a late-night telephone conversation with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, to encourage him to run for President in 1960. She quoted Johnson as saying: “Well, Miss Ida, I will certainly put some thought to that idea.”

She was proud of her Idaho heritage and had a strong desire to instill that sense of connection in her children and grandchildren. She compiled a family cookbook full of stories about the people and places of her childhood. She also wrote a personal history, “My Habitat,” to insure that the family stories she loved were preserved for future generations.

Ida Louise Hawkins was preceded in death by husband Dr. James Wesley Hawkins; son Richard and step-grandson Jeremy Cereghino. She is survived by her children: Bob Whiteley, Betsy Hawkins (George Butterfield), Mary Hawkins, John Hawkins, and Ronald Hawkins (Teresa). She is also survived by grandchildren James Tyler Dickinson, Chelsea Dickinson (Dusty Harris), Ariel Whiteley, and Mila Whiteley, and step grandchildren Jerod Cereghino (Chelsea Good) and Jasmine Cereghino. Her surviving great-grandchildren include: Hannah Huggins, Benjamin Burke, Paityn Harris, Trevon Cereghino, Avery Cereghino and Elise Cereghino. In addition to numerous nieces and nephews, Tony Stewart of Coeur d’Alene, is also recognized as an essential member of the Hawkins family.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Ida’s niece and personal physician, Barbara Daugharty, Ida’s caregivers and companions Betty Anderson, Janina Green, Karen Oss and Anjelique Mader, and Hospice of North Idaho for their compassionate care during her final months.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in her name to the Coeur d’Alene Friends of the Library (http://www.cdalibrary.org), Bonner County Historical Society (www.bonnercountyhistory.org) or the Avenue of Flags, Clark Fork VFW Post No. 10320, Box 277, Clark Fork, ID 83811.

A memorial service honoring the life of Ida Hawkins will be held Friday, Aug. 5, 2016. Memorial service information and an online memory book can be found at the Yates Funeral Home website: www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.