Joseph Hawkins died suddenly as a result of an automobile crash in Riverside, CA at the intersection of Larchmont and Central Ave. The crash occurred on August 17, 2014 at about 3:15 PM. He was pronounced brain dead at Riverside Memorial Hospital at about 6:30 AM on Monday August 18. The Riverside County Coroner did not declare official death until August 21. His life began in Redwood City, CA at Kaiser hospital when he was born, the second son, to Linda and Ed Hawkins. His father met him for the first time and clearly remembers the bounding heartbeat. He attended Fox Elementary and Ralston Middle schools in Belmont, California and graduated from Carlmont High School in 2003. From there he attended the University of Arizona ad Earned at Bachelor Degree in Systems Engineering. He went on to earn his Masters Degree from the same University. While at the University he worked as a teaching assistant and did work for Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson. He spent seven years working and going to school in Tucson, AZ. After graduation he moved in with his parents and began a job search in the middle of a great economic recession. He took a job at Heavenly Tahoe ski resort in the winter of 2010-2011. He made horrible wages but was able to spend 46 days snowboarding the slopes of Heavenly during a winter of record breaking snowfall. He was joined working there by several other college graduates who were looking for jobs in the middle of a great recession. It was during this time that Joe applied for work at over 100 companies. It was very difficult for him, he knew had a lot to offer but it was hard to communicate that to strangers in various various companies around the country. Then the people at the Goodrich Corporation Aerostructures Division were impressed enough to give him a chance and he was hired there in August 2011. At Goodrich he met and worked with people he thought very highly of. He thrived in the challenging environment. The company was taken over by United Technologies Corporation and Joe survived all the changes and continued to thrive and become a favorite of his bosses and many of his co-workers. He met Kristina Halverson in Riverside in late 2011. It was a little bumpy because after their first meeting in a bar in Riverside Joe did not even ask for her number. After that they met again, in another bar, and Joe invited Kristina, her mother, and her mother's friend, all together, to give him a ride home and join him in his apartment for a glass of wine. He got her number that time and shortly after that they began dating and then became a couple. He was serious enough to bring her home to his family two summers and three Christmas's in a row. Joe's parents knew it was a true love even if Joe had not declared it yet. Kristina was his loving companion and best friend until the end. They were both bright, quick witted, and enjoyed the same things. Attending Comic-Con, was one of their great joys. To be honest, Joey was a bit of a nerd. Joe enjoyed the stories and characters of the Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles that hit TV in 1980's. Something about the chemistry of the characters and their wise cracking teen age ways clicked with him and he was totally into them. HIs fifth birthday was a a Ninja Turtle birthday and was attended by Ninga Turtle, "Donatello". These characters were one of the reasons he studied marshal arts. This passion carried on into adulthood. When he was able to make enough working at UTC to allow him to purchase the 1980's Ninja Turtle toys he invested heavily. The idea was to make money re-selling the pieces but at his death, Joey still had sever dozen different pieces valued well into the thousands. Quite a passion. As an adult he was a a delightful man who was a joy to just talk to. He could talk to anyone of any age about any topic. He was outgoing and had a charisma that people responded to. He loved a challenge and was happy applying his skills and was very happy working where he did. He adored his immediate boss and was always there for his co-workers no matter how busy he was. For several years he and his father went skiing together often but recently it became a tradition to ski on Christmas Eve. Joe was a truly gifted snowboarder who could fly down the slopes. We apologize that the mortuary could not find any snow board picture for the theme. His father recalls the great joy following Joe down the hills and working hard just to keep him in sight. Joey was well on his way to a happy and prosperous life. He had a good job, bright future, good friends, and he was loved by Kristina. He was doing well and was investing for the future. Joseph was a friend, lover, son, brother, and co-worker, who was struck down in this prime of his life. It is a terrible injustice that we are forced to accept. Joe had many friends and colleagues who will miss him for some time. For his family, life will never be the same.