Obituary
Stanley – Thomas Lee Hathorn, age 88, passed quietly in the presence of family, Friday, July 10, 2020.
A private burial will be held for the family with hopes for a celebration of Tom’s life to follow in late summer.
In lieu of flowers, and at Tom’s request, please consider donations to the Memorial Fund of the Gorham United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 225, Gorham, NY 14461; or the charity of your choice in Tom’s memory.
Born April 8, 1932, Tom was the eighth of nine children of the late Merle and Marcia (nee Van Nostrand) and the only member of his family to remain in Stanley and carry on the dairy farm known today in the community as Hathorn Farms. Together with his high school sweetheart and wife of 67 years, the late Barbara (nee Allen), they raised another large family on the Hathorn homestead.
Tom enjoyed being the proud father of Jeffrey Hathorn of Rochester, NY, Todd (Nori) Hathorn of Stanley, NY, Rev. Valerie (Rob) White of Auburn, NY, Rev. Scott (Joni) Hathorn of Ithaca, NY, Janine Hathorn of Lexington, VA, and Brad (Jill) Hathorn of Manlius, NY.; A loving grandfather to: Brendon, Ryan, Nathan, the late Justin, and Jordan Hathorn; Scott White, Colleen (White) Kristich; Becky (Tay), Dan, Jen, and Andy Hathorn; Colby, Cody, Lindsay, Joe, and Ava Hathorn; and the great-grandfather of: Colin, Logan, and Clayton Hathorn; Peter and Grayson Hathorn; George and new sister Florence White; Margaret Grace Hathorn; Oswald, Rachel, and Charlotte Tay; Aiden, Kendyll, McKenzie and Adalee Hathorn. Tom is also survived by three sisters: Evelyn Farnan of Rochester, NY; Elizabeth Discavage of Decatur, GA; and Helen Hauck of Jensen Beach, FL, and many nieces and nephews.
Following retirement from the farm, Tom became a manufacturer’s rep for Steiner and later Mensch products.
Church and community were the other cornerstones in Tom’s life. In earlier days he was active in the Stanley Fire Department and later served ten years on the Board of Education of the newly formed Marcus Whitman Central School. As a devoted member of the Gorham United Methodist Church, Tom had been a Trustee, Lay Leader, Bible Study Leader, Choir member, and participated in the “Walk to Emmaus” United Methodist renewal movement.
Always a punster and master of the Dad jokes that elicited many groans, we wouldn’t mind having another opportunity to say “Oooh Dad!”