Gail Oglee Hathaway, age 79, of Yarmouth Port, Mass. and Wellfleet, Mass., formerly of Darien, passed away peacefully on Nov. 4 at Brighton Gardens in Stamford, surrounded by her three loving sons ending a 10-year, off-and-on-battle with lung cancer.
Gail Hathaway, 79, passed away on Nov. 4. A memorial service in Wellfleet, Mass. is planned.
Born in Philadelphia to the late Frank and Dorothy Humphries Oglee, she had resided in Darien, raising her family before moving off on her own to her beloved Cape Cod.
As a young girl, Gail had a love for family, academics, music, art, literature and her parents’ retirement home (Windsong) in Wellfleet. A fond Wellfleet memory she loved to share was how she and her two sisters would ride their bikes to a secluded pond and wash their hair.
She graduated from Hall High School in West Hartford in 1955 and Cornell University, Magna Cum Laude in 1959 with a degree in economics, housing and design.
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— an obituary from Edward Lawrence Funeral Home
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As a young lady and mother, she pursued her passions of playing the piano, singing with the Blue Notes, and working shifts at the Darien Library. She volunteered 30-plus years for the Children’s Aid Society and relished the annual tag sales at Roton Point.
During the summers, she enjoyed time at Woodway Country Club and the Tokeneke Beach Club. On the Cape, it was beaching at Powers Landing, clamming the flats, playing tennis at Chequessett Country Club, and sunsetting at Duck Harbor.
She spent many a day with family and friends at Newcombs Hollow, riding the waves and climbing the high dunes. There were many sporting events, long drives and great meals. She was a surrogate mother to many of her sons’ friends, feeding them delicious meals, leaving out late night treats, and watching over all.
Gail was a voracious reader, crossword puzzler and a lifelong academic, taking courses at Cape Cod Community College in her free time. She “retired” from cooking in 2009 and reunited with Cornell classmate Austin Wadsworth. For the last six years, she and Austin enjoyed old airplanes, sightseeing and kayaking. He brought her great joy and love right to the end.
She is survived by her three sons: Brian Kent Hathaway and his wife Sue of Darien, Carl Nichols Hathaway and his wife Sarah of Darien, and Andrew Oglee Hathaway and his wife Amy of Phoenixville, Pa.; and nine grandchildren: Drew, Brendan, Matty, Henry, C.J. Kelly, Aidan, Bennett and Cole. She is also survived by her sister, Judy Sanders of Largo, Fl. and was predeceased by sister Carol North of Wellfleet.
A Memorial Service will be planned for the spring of 2017 in Wellfleet, where the family ties she helped create are as strong as ever and tributes flourish in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Gail’s memory may be made to: National Warplane Museum, 3489 Big Tree Lane, PO Box 185, Geneseo, NY 14454.
The world lost a great lady, but the universe just got a whole lot brighter. Lastly, from her sons, You Made Us! You made us think, you made us work, you made us play, you made us behave, you made us men. You gave us unconditional love and we will love you always.