Jason Hawk’s Wife Breaks Down! Heartfelt Tribute & things you never Knew about Mountain Men Star.

Jason Hawk Obituary

Written by Mary Fricchione

Jason Patrick Baldwin, known to most as Jason Hawk, passed away on January 28, 2025, in his home, surrounded by family and friends.

Jason was loved and admired by all who met him. People around the world were spellbound by his talent, artwork, and storytelling superpower.

Jason was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Andrea, an artist and equine therapist, and Jim Baldwin, an Army Special Forces instructor turned carpenter and artist. Jim adopted the last name Hawk in honor of his years of skydiving. Jason, in later years, adopted the name as well. Both of his parents were renowned for their gift of gab, so they say Jason came by his storytelling skills honestly.

Childhood and Love for the Outdoors

When Jason was young and living in California and Nevada with his older brother Damon and his little sister Jordan, he developed a lifelong love for riding horses, especially out in the desert and mountains. He grew up in a creative household where he learned early on to work with many materials in his creative endeavors.

Jason would spend countless hours looking over his dad’s shoulder as he carved and created gorgeous, historic, and Native-inspired artwork. Jim also introduced Jason to improvised weapons, survival skills, and all manners of making do that he had learned in life and in the service.

Tragic Loss of His Brother

When Jason was eight, his older brother and best friend, Damon, tragically lost his life in an accident on the beach. The family was devastated.

Move to Colorado and Mountain Life

A few years later, the family moved to Cuchara, Colorado, where they became caretakers on a large guest ranch called the Yellow Pine. Living in the Rocky Mountains was a dream come true for a young man who had always dreamed of the freedom of saddling up a horse and making solo camping trips into the mountains.

There, he was able to practice his mountain man skills of hunting, trapping, and campcraft. At 15, Jason and his sister Jordan became licensed wranglers and helped pack elk hunters into the backcountry. Jason would often stay to cook and help tend camp before returning home.

Friendships and Historical Reenactments

In the tiny town of Cuchara, Jason was lucky to find a crew of friends who shared his love for the history of the American frontier, hunting, and trapping. They would spend long winter evenings sewing clothes and making gear for the reenactments and rendezvous they participated in.

Travel and Early Career

After high school, Jason left home and traveled the country for a couple of years until he landed in Montana.

He lived remotely in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and would come into town to work as a manager and chef at Dos Amigos in Kalispell and then as a supervisor and chef at Santa Fe Reds in Bozeman.

While in Montana, he went to school for welding and met his first wife, Erin Meeks. They were married for a couple of years before Jason returned to Arizona.

Settling in Arizona and Artistic Growth

Jason moved to Rimrock, AZ, with his dad. They shared an artistic studio where he began his knife-making hobby on the side while working in a bronze foundry. Jason then met his second wife, Ikuko Watanabe, a Japanese student studying at NAU. They got married and had a son named Kamui in 2005.

Martial Arts and Black Belt Achievement

Over the years, while living off and on in Sedona, Jason earned his fifth-degree black belt in Dose Pares Eskrima under his friend, Grandmaster Christopher Petrelli.

Meeting His Final Wife and Family Life

Jason met Mary Fricchione, his final wife, around a campfire after teaching at Winter Count. In 2008, Jason’s first daughter, River, was born. When River was two, the family moved to Arivaca, AZ, to Mary’s family land, where they set up a carving shop for Jim and a knife-making shop for Jason.

Television Career with History Channel

In 2012, Jason took a trip to Idaho to teach at Woodsmoke, a classic camping and primitive skills gathering. There, he interviewed with Warm Springs Production Company for the show Mountain Men on the History Channel.

They loved him and came down to Arizona to film a season of him hunting, trapping, and gallivanting around the desert. Unfortunately, the desert landscape lacked the snow of the other locations, so that season never aired.

The History Channel still wanted Jason to film, so they built a show called No Man’s Land, which aired in 2014, centered around him and a handful of other characters living in remote desert locations. That show only aired for one season.

However, the History Channel remained interested in Jason, inviting him back for Mountain Men Season 5. They offered to move the family anywhere in the U.S. He chose Arkansas due to family ties and the ability to hunt, fish, and gather year-round. Jim decided to stay in Arizona.

Move to Arkansas and Life on the Homestead

Jason and his family filmed Season 5 near the White River outside of Elkins, AR. They stayed for the winter on a 600-acre property with an 1800s off-grid cabin with a hand well.

When spring came and the lease was up, the family returned to Arizona. That summer, Jason’s dad passed away from a heart attack.

By the next fall, the leased property was no longer available, so Jason and his family went on the hunt for a property to buy.

With the help of family and friends, Jason was able to buy his current 10-acre homestead in the mountains north of the Arkansas River and Mulberry, AR. After living there for a year, Jason’s youngest daughter, Maddie, was born in 2017 on an episode of the show.

Battle with Cancer and Final Years

In 2018, Jason’s son Kamui came to live with him. Jason continued to film until 2019 when he was diagnosed with cancer, which ended his filming career.

The extra time allowed him to focus on his health and his artwork, which he continued until he physically couldn’t anymore. Toward the end of his life, having a good day meant getting over to work in the shop on his knives. He loved making cool creations.

Remembering Jason Hawk

Jason was a patient man who spent long hours counseling anyone in need. You could see his patience in everything he did. He loved fishing, hunting, archery, tracking, sewing gear, history, cooking delicious food, learning new skills, and spending time with his friends and family.

In the end, he did the best he could with what he had each day and encouraged everyone to live fully and become a legend.

Surviving Family and Memorial Details

He leaves behind his wife, Mary; son, Kamui; daughters, River and Maddie; mother, Andrea Baldwin; aunt, Marilyn Davis; uncle, John Baldwin; sisters, Jordan Baldwin, Jill Lott, Jymme Jo Gann, and Julie Waller Driskel; numerous nieces and nephews; and too many friends and loved ones to name. He was dearly loved and will be missed.

This brief summary of Jason Hawk’s life is a woefully inadequate account. Many of his stories are held in memory and validated by those still walking this earth.

However, so many of the people who made his stories real are no longer with us. When unbelievable stories can no longer be verified, they become the stuff of legends.

His memorial will be held in May on the family homestead with close friends and family.

For details, please contact Jason’s wife, Mary Fricchione.