Bernita Bee Hawley, 91, of De Soto, Kansas, formerly of Goff, KS, passed away peacefully on April 28, 2024. Bee was born January 7, 1933 in rural Ellis County, and was the second eldest of six children, to the parents of Earl and Bernadine Murphy. She and her siblings grew up in Covert, Kansas where Bee graduated from Covert High School. Bee attended Ft. Hays University where she took business courses and then moved to Topeka in the spring of 1952 where she worked at the Supply Depot.

On December 3, 1955, Bee married her husband, Raymond Hawley, in Covert, Kansas. In 1983, Raymond and Bee moved to Goff, Kansas, where Bee was an active member of the Goff United Methodist Church.

Bee was an avid sports fan who would rarely miss a ballgame. She loved to watch KU basketball, Kansas City Royals baseball, and Kansas City Chiefs football. Bee could frequently be found playing cards with friends at Hillside Village of De Soto and the Senior Center in Holton, Kansas. When Bee was not watching sports or playing cards, she loved to spend time visiting with family and friends both near and far.

Bee is preceded in death by her parents, Earl and Bernadine Murphy; infant Murphy; brother, Keith Murphy, and her husband, Raymond Hawley.

Bee is survived by her 2 children, Connie Hawley and Mark Hawley (Linda); 6 grandchildren, Jessica Lundquist, Gabrielle Chavarria (Danilo), Kaelena Blan (William), Crystal Mulich (Travis), Samantha Coughenour (Travis), and Lukas Hawley (Cheyenne); 21 great grandchildren; 3 siblings, Janice Lund, Bill Murphy (Marlene) and Sandy Boldridge (Leon) and many nieces and nephews.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 3, 2024 at the Mercer Funeral Home in Holton. Burial will follow immediately after in Goff, Kansas at Fairview Cemetery. The family will greet friends from 9:30 a.m. until service time at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, Bee has requested donations be made to the Holton Senior Center or Goff United Methodist Church c/o Mercer Funeral Home, P.O. Box 270, Holton, KS 66436. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.mercerfuneralhomes.com.