Donald Aaron Hathaway, age 75, was born January 11, 1946, to Basil Edgar and MaryAnna (Sutton) Hathaway in Jay County, Indiana. Along with his parents and six siblings, he moved to a farm near Plato in 1951. He started school the following year in Plato and went on to graduate from high school there in 1964. He departed for his heavenly home September 14, 2021, surrounded by his loving family.
Don was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, Judy Steward on September 26, 1964, in a double wedding ceremony along with his sister, Gay and her husband, Wayne Cook. A daughter, LeAnn and a son, Steven completed their family.
Don spent years working at Fort Leonard Wood where he began by carrying out groceries at the commissary, and ended his career in March 1998, retiring from the Property Disposal Office. He later spent a few summers working on a road construction crew.
He was a man who had many and varied hobbies over the years. He liked the outdoors and hunted and fished at any opportunity. He especially loved rabbit hunting with his father- in- law and was seldom without a beagle or two around the house for many years. He did oil painting, wood and rock carving, woodworking, made whimsical buck brush animals and origami swans, as well as making apple butter and many varieties of jelly. He also loved mowing and caring for his lawn. His sense of humor was one of his greatest assets.
Don was baptized in Roubidoux Creek at an early age and attended Plato Baptist Church with his family for several years. After transferring his membership to Roby Baptist Church about fifteen years ago, he became a “greeter” there and served faithfully in that position for several years. He always loved children and was greeted with hugs from many of them each Sunday morning.
As long as his health permitted, he loved to take his grandkids and nieces and nephews to the old tire swing in the backyard, and his great grandkids for rides on the old John Deere Gator. His last weeks were filled with visits and calls from many friends and family and made him realize how fortunate and blessed his life had been. He always considered his family his greatest blessing in life, while many of them considered him as one of the biggest blessings in theirs. Both LeAnn and Steve say they couldn’t have asked for a better dad. He always said he didn’t have bad days, only good days, and better days. Regardless of what he faced in life his motto was “It Ain’t Nothing but A Thing”. He made the world a better place, one smile, one hug, one wave, and one day at a time.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, Basil and MaryAnna Hathaway; his father-in-law, Lloyd Steward, his brothers, John, and Jim; his twin sisters, Kay Hall, and Gay Cook; half-brothers, Charles, Bud, and Paul Hathaway; and half-sisters, Pauline Jones and Nilah Byrd.
Survivors include his wife, Judy of the home; son, Steve Hathaway and wife Lori of Plato, MO; daughter, LeAnn Davidson and husband, Bill of Rineyville, KY; grandsons, Blake Davidson of Elizabethtown, KY, Mason Davidson of Rineyville, KY, Steven Hathaway, Jr of Denver, CO, and Jacob Hathaway of Kansas City, MO; granddaughters, Brittany Cook of Okinawa, Japan, and Sydney Davidson of Rineyville, KY; a brother, Sam Hathaway and wife, Gretta of Licking, MO; and his sister, Anne Massey of Success, MO; four great-granddaughters, and two great-grandsons; as well as many other family members and friends.
