Margaret Mae Campbell Jennings Hathaway

Margaret Mae “Pat” Campbell Jennings Hathaway, the last of her generation of Campbells, died December 15, 2022 surrounded by loving family. She is preceded in death by her parents, Edgar and Mamie (Sorrell) Campbell, her three siblings, Irene Campbell (Fagan), David Campbell and Roy Campbell, and her stillborn baby boy, Carl. She is survived by her children Ann Boll (Rich), Gail, and Jay (Therese), and her grandchildren, Carl, Joseph and David. Margaret was born at home on March 17, 1923 near Herndon, Fairfax County, Virginia. She grew up in Fairfax County, graduating with the first class (1940) from Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria. Margaret, or Pat as she was known because of her St. Patrick’s Day birthday, met her high school sweetheart and first husband, Charles Ashby Jennings, when she was 14. They eloped on September 16, 1940 to Harrisonburg, Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains. After the start of World War II, Pat worked at the Alexandria Torpedo Factory. Charles joined the Army in May 1943 and was shipped overseas to the European Theater in March 1944. Pat lost Charles when he was killed in action on March 30, 1945 near Köln, Germany. This September, in a special ceremony by Wichita VFW Post 3115, Pat was presented with the long-awaited medals earned by Charles in the service of his country. These medals included a Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, and a Combat Infantryman Badge. In late 1945, Pat started working for the Red Cross. She was traveling for the Red Cross in 1946 when she met Norman Fleetwood Hathaway, a Navy officer, on a bus traveling between Norfolk and Washington, DC. They were married on the Hathaway family farm near Creswell, North Carolina on October 12, 1947. Pat and Norman started a family while stationed in Rhode Island with their daughter Ann, and later added their daughter Gail and son Jay while stationed in Rochester NY. After Norman's 1959 Navy retirement and years of living up and down the East Coast, they departed Virginia Beach VA in 1963 to settle in Wichita with their young children. In most of the following summers, Pat organized a fun-filled family road-trip to visit the East Coast relatives and friends. Pat kept the Hathaway family active and thriving in various Wichita Southern Baptist churches including Olivet Baptist Church where she enjoyed helping in the nursery and assisting with their weekly collections accounting. Pat and Norman divorced in 1972. Pat re-entered the workforce around 1970 and held accounting positions at several Wichita businesses including NCR and ophthalmologists Carter Relihan & Wilder, retiring from KSN-TV in 1988. After daughter Gail began attending Starkey School in 1963, Pat became a dedicated volunteer there through 1977. Pat also enjoyed volunteering with the ARC of Sedgwick County (Ability Point), receiving the ARC Service Award in 1996. In her retirement, Pat greatly enjoyed volunteering at the Westlink branch of the Wichita Public Library, where she shelved books for more than 25 years. In 2001, she received the Melzer Award from the Friends of the Wichita Public Library in recognition of her extraordinary volunteer work. In her leisure time, Pat also managed to squeeze in a variety of bus tours with close friends, and visited destinations coast to coast. One of her favorites was a trip to Albuquerque for the International Balloon Fiesta. As an avid reader, Pat filled her home with books and could often be found nestled on her sofa reading a good novel or her Bible. As a dedicated walker, she took healthy walks on most mornings in her neighborhood or, on colder days inside Towne West Mall. Pat took up crocheting and knitting to keep her fingers nimble, and made hundreds of wonderful dishcloths, potholders, and hot pads for very appreciative family and friends. Pat was fond of her yard and garden where she enjoyed flowers, especially iris and chrysanthemum, yard work, and gardening, growing tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, and mint plants. Pat enjoyed pets, taking care of many when the family was young, and later enjoying her daughter’s cats, including Sophie and Mac. At age 95, Pat left her home and moved to Avita Rolling Hills, where she received excellent care and support. This year she was able to have more frequent visits with her daughter Gail, which both of them seemed to enjoy. Pat lovingly encouraged, supported, and commended the accomplishments of her children and her grandchildren. She was remarkably dedicated to the care and development of her daughter Gail, raising her to be a joyful, independent and capable adult. Visitation will be Thursday, December 22, 2022, from 4 PM to 6 PM, immediately followed by the funeral service at 6 PM, both at Downing & Lahey West, 10515 W Maple, Wichita, KS. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family would be honored to have donations in Pat’s memory to the Wichita Public Library Foundation (711 W 2nd St N, Wichita, KS, 67203) or Starkey Inc (4500 W Maple St, Wichita, KS, 67209), Ability Point (2919 W. 2nd St N, Wichita, KS 67203), KETCH (1006 E Waterman St, Wichita, KS, 67211), or other non-profits serving people with disabilities. The family thanks Avita Rolling Hills and Good Shepherd Hospice for their care and support of Pat as she closed out this chapter of her life story.

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