Thomas M. Hathaway

March 12, 1940 - March 15, 2022

A Celebration of Life will happen in warmer weather.

In lieu of ﬂowers, please consider a donation to:

Lincoln Park Zoo

75 Remittance Dr., Dept. 92085

Chicago, IL, 60675

Thomas M. Hathaway died on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at the age of 82, after a prolonged battle with mantle cell lymphoma. He was born on March 12, 1940, in Milwaukee, WI, to Dorothy and Ernest Hathaway. He graduated from Carleton College in 1962 and went into the Army attending the U.S. Army Language School in Monterey, CA, to learn the Russian language. He served in Ankara, Turkey, in the 1960’s. After completing his military service, he settled in Chicago, IL, and worked for Marshall Field’s. While working at Field’s in Evanston, IL, he met his future wife, Karen Utech. They married in 1967 and settled in Evanston. Their only daughter, Christine, was born in 1975.

While Tom worked at Marshall Field’s for the entirety of his career (in diﬀerent capacities), his real passion was volunteering at the Lincoln Park Zoo. He loved to talk to kids about animals and the Zoo. Tom also volunteered for the Chicago Botanic Garden in the Butterﬂy Garden.

In his retirement, Tom loved traveling with his wife, Karen, to faraway places like the Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu, Greece, France, Switzerland, Belize, Turkey, Italy, and Costa Rica. But, the place that had a special place in his heart was a cottage on Little Arbor Vitae Lake in northern Wisconsin which has been in the family for over 100 years. He loved to go out before anyone woke up and buy freshly baked donuts and a newspaper. He also loved tooling around Chicagoland in his convertible blue Mini Cooper with racing stripes.

Tom is survived by his wife of 54 years, Karen; daughter, Christine (Steve); grandsons, Alex and Austin; brother, Dan (Kee) Hathaway; sister, Gingie (Tom) Wilson; and a host of longtime friends.

Have a glass of red wine in his honor. A Celebration of Life will happen in warmer weather.

In lieu of ﬂowers, please consider a donation to Lincoln Park Zoo, 75 Remittance Dr., Dept. 92085, Chicago, IL, 60675 (lpzoo.org).

Funeral info: 847.673.6111.

Thomas M. Hathaway died on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, at the age of 82, after a prolonged battle with mantle cell lymphoma. He was born on March 12, 1940, in Milwaukee, WI, to Dorothy and Ernest Hathaway. He graduated from Carleton College in 1962 and went into the Army attending the U.S. Army Language SchoolContinue Reading

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We will miss you; we had many good times together. You showed great patience watching all of our shows. Loved our March birthday club. Thinking of you and your family in this difficult time

So sorry for your loss. Thinking of you and your family.

Dear Uncle Tom, I have such amazingly fond memories of our family get togethers up at the lake. Your laugh and smile are imprinted on all that you interact with. I wish my two girls had gotten to experience that over these last two years of Covid isolation. I imagine you sitting on the bench down by the lake with Grandma next to you right now; may you have a long peaceful view across Little Arb. We will miss you dearly. Thank you for your time on this earth and being a part of my life. Nate

So sorry to hear about Tom's passing. As fellow docents at Lincoln Park Zoo we spent many Saturdays educating visitors as well as entertaining them, and Tom was good at both. Condolences to his family.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.