TERRE HAUTE – Leonard “Len” Hathaway, 75, of Terre Haute, Indiana, passed away on October 24, 2020 at Union Hospital in Terre Haute. He was an award-winning, retired agency manager of Edgar, Douglas and Coles Counties for Country Companies Insurance in Illinois and later served the Terre Haute area as an independent insurance agent and financial advisor. He was born October 10, 1945 in Danville, Illinois to Samuel Hathaway and Vera Edgington Hathaway and grew up happily on his family’s farm in nearby Newtown, playing as many sports as possible and excelling in school and in 4-H and FFA.
Survivors include his wife, Sharon Stevenson Hathaway, whom he married on February 24, 1973 in Catlin, Illinois; a son, Jason (Adrienne Martinez) Hathaway, of Indianapolis; a daughter, Amy (Paul) Cooper, of Marshall, Illinois; and grandchildren Abigail, Sadie and Molly Cooper and Vera Hathaway. He is preceded in death by his parents and several family cats (he tried his best not to appreciate the cats, but we knew he really did).
Hathaway was a veteran of the U.S. Army and graduate of Southern Illinois University. He was a long-time member of Cross Lane Community Church in Terre Haute, as well as the Kiwanis Club of Terre Haute and Paris (Ill.) Rotary Club. In addition, he was a gardening fanatic, a diehard fan of the Chicago Cubs and University of Illinois sports and, in his later years, an avid participant in Rock Steady Boxing classes for Parkinson’s disease patients, where he built many lasting friendships along with stronger muscles and mental toughness. Len’s later years also reawakened a long-held desire to sing his favorite oldies songs on stage, which led him toward weekly karaoke night performances at the Terre Haute Moose Lodge and hours of singing practice around the house.
Affectionately known as “Lenny” to those who loved him most, he was a loving father and grandfather and, simply, a lover of people, who took great pleasure in discovering and promoting the best qualities and potential of anyone he got the chance to know. Len and his purple walker were well-known in his neighborhood for his multiple daily walks. In lieu of flowers, his family has asked for donations to be made to the Ft. Harrison Villa Memorial Bench Fund, c/o Sunset Harbor, Inc., 19 S. 6th St., Terre Haute, IN 47807 for a place for his neighborhood friends to have a place to rest and visit. Over the past few years, he would often remind his loved ones of the final goal on his bucket list: “I don’t know how much time I have left, but I have decided that I’m going to use that time to make as many people smile as I can.” Mission accomplished.
Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. in Roselawn Memorial Park on Friday, November 6. Greiner Funeral Home in Terre Haute was entrusted with care and arrangements. Online condolences can be made at www.greinerfuneralhome.com.
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