Petronilla “Petra” Hawes, of Alexandria, Virginia, passed away on her 91st birthday, Friday, May 31, 2019 in Spring Arbor of Winchester.
Mrs. Hawes was born in Germering, Germany in 1928, the daughter of the late Josef and Petronilla Meyer. She worked as an archivist for the National Archives in Washington, D.C. until her retirement. She was a member of the German War Brides and traveled frequently in her younger years to Germany and Europe with her husband and family. Petra loved gardening, the opera, especially Pavarotti, cooking traditional German dishes for her family, and was a devoted grandmother to her grandchildren.
Petra married Gordon L. Hawes in Furstenburck, Germany on August 28, 1946. He preceded her in death in 2018.
Mrs. Hawes is survived by her daughter, Sonja Dailey (Don) of Floyds Knobs, Indiana; her son, Steven Hawes (Katrina) of Winchester, Virginia; her grandchildren, Kayla Broussard (Dave) of South Riding, Virginia, Jordan Hawes of Baltimore, Maryland, and Kelsey Coulton (Andrew) of Nashville, Tennessee; and three great grandchildren, Cameron Broussard and Tyson Broussard, both of South Riding, Virginia and Sloan Coulton of Nashville, Tennessee.
A graveside service will be conducted on Friday, June 7th at 11:00 am at Mount Hebron Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Petra’s memory to a charity of your choice.