Hathaway, Thomas Greer

Thomas Greer Hathaway, 55, of Chandler, AZ passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, September 12, 2006. Tom was born in Milwaukee, WI on May 7, 1951, and grew up in Neenah, WI. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 1973, he immediately moved to the Chicago area to be closer to his beloved Cubs & Bears. In 1994, he picked up everything and moved to Phoenix.

Tom worked at several companies during his career, including TRW, Signode, Illinois Tool Works, and Motorola. Then in 1996, he surprised all with the decision to retire. He wanted to further enjoy his passions, including: sports, the internet, family & friends, garage sales/e-bay and beer. Number one of these was baseball, especially his Chicago Cubs. When he lived in Chicago, he could often be found at Wrigley Field, and after he moved to Phoenix, he was never far from a TV tuned to WGN. Unfortunately, he never got to see them win it all.

His other passion was the internet. Several years ago, he started a blog on MSN Spaces entitled "If I Were King". Tom quickly gathered a large fan base and was anointed "King Tom" by setting numerous laws based on his royal status.

The internet also led him to the love of his life, Jin Yu Yi (Rose) of China. Tom was a life-long bachelor until this spring when he traveled to China and married Rose. She was unable to return to the states with him, but he was actively working through many visa issues to allow his "Queen" to join him in Phoenix. He was so looking forward to her arrival.

Tom is also survived by his mother, Jane Hathaway of Naples, FL; sister Susan Hass (Dan) of Brussels, Belgium; brother Steve (Elaine) of Madison, WI; and five nieces and nephews: Gretchen and Katie Hass, and Nathan, Craig and Sam Hathaway. He was especially close to Gretchen, who moved to Phoenix a few years ago. They saw each other often.

A memorial event will be held Saturday, September 23, 2006, at Boston's Bar & Grille, 1730 E. Elliott Road, Tempe. All his friends are invited. Please consult Tom’s blog for the time.

Those wishing to make an expression of sympathy are asked to consider either Cubs Care at Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St., Chicago, IL 60613, or the International Myeloma Foundation, 12650 Riverside Drive, Suite 206, North Hollywood, CA 91607-3421, in honor of his father.