Thelma Hathaway July 17, 1921 to August 26, 2010

Thelma came into the world in Marion, Iowa and lived all her life in Iowa communities, including Sioux City, Onawa, Turin, Castana, Magnolia, Logan, Missouri Valley, and Lamoni.  She graduated from Castana High School, attended Buena Vista College and taught for a year a one-room rural school before marrying Francis Hathaway in 1940.  After giving birth to three children and helping her husband on their farm, she returned to teaching at a rural school near Magnolia.  At the same time she took college courses part-time, and in 1965 graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Dana College in Blair, Nebraska.  She taught in the Logan-Magnolia School District until retiring due to a health problem in 1971.

Thelma kept busy with church work, gardening, and other activities until her husband retired from farming and the couple built a new home in Logan in 1977.  One of her passions was traveling and seeing new places, and with the purchase of a travel trailer she and Francis were able to experience many new parts of the country, as well as regularly visit her three children then living in California.  Due to his declining health, the couple sold their home and moved to Missouri Valley, where Francis passed away in 2002.  Thelma then moved to Lamoni, where she spent the remaining years of her life.

Thelma was active in church work most of her life.  She taught church school classes for many years for both children and adults, helped organize church dinners and fundraisers, and regularly visited people in nursing homes and hospitals.  She held the office of priest in the Community of Christ church.

Thelma passed away in Lamoni after a brief illness.  Preceding her in death were her parents and a younger brother.  She is survived by her brother Dean Patterson of Omaha, Nebr., her sons Lawrence Hathaway of La Grande, Oregon, and Dennis Hathaway of Venice, California; and her daughter Jan Hathaway, of Scotts Valley, California.  She has three grandchildren, Gabrielle, Nikolas, and Ivi Hathaway, and seven great-grandchildren, Elijah, Toby, and Hannah Ellis; Tess, Katerina, and Josephine Landon; and Jaquelle Cisneros-Weinraub.

Thelma, 14 yrs. old

High School Graduate

Marriage to Francis Hathaway, 1940