1917 – 2003

NORWAY – Barbara Ellen (Bennett) Hathaway, 86, of Bryant Pond, died Nov. 20, in Norway.

She was born at Rowe Hill in Greenwood on Feb. 17, 1917, the daughter of Jason and Cora (Morgan) Bennett.

She worked four years at the Bryant Pond residence of Mrs. Frances Hayes, daughter of President Rutherford B. Hayes, as a chauffeur and cook after graduating high school. She married Elden Hathaway on March 19, 1938 in Locke Mills. They resided in Bryant Pond all their married life.

In 1951, Mr. and Mrs. Hathaway purchased the Bryant Pond Telephone Co. and moved it into their living room on Rumford Ave. They owned and operated it until 1981 when it was sold to Buckfield Telephone Co. It remained in their home until 1983 when it was converted to dial. They received much fame and many visits from people around the world when they became the last hand crank telephone company in the U.S.

She was known for her cooking, particularly her bread and rolls. She was active in Jefferson Chapter 89 O.E.S. Bryant Pond where she was a past matron and lifetime member. She also traveled as an escort to her daughter, Susan on the state level.

She was known for her generosity and also her poems that she wrote for special occasions. She served as ballot clerk in the town of Woodstock for many years. She enjoyed her water aerobics group, as well as playing bridge with her bridge group every week. She was an active member of the Woodstock Extension, the Woodstock Historical Society, and the Senior Citizen groups of Woodstock and Bethel. She was a former member of the Pythian Sisters.

She especially loved family gatherings, and the performances of the Hathaway-Bennett Dixieland Band. She was an expert seamstress, quilter, knitter, and cake decorator, and donated many pairs of mittens to the children of Woodstock Elementary School.

She loved social gatherings and planned her last party for “Barbara’s Angels” – the ones who had given her so much during her battle with cancer – for November 19. She held court, supervising the event and greeting the guests, until she went to the hospital upon the party’s conclusion.

Her family is requesting those attending the funeral wear purple and red to honor her colorful personality.

She is survived by one son, Michael Hathaway and his wife Penny of Madison, N.H.; two daughters, Susan Glines and her husband Bruce of West Paris and Linda Stowell and her husband Brian of West Bethel; one daughter-in-law, Elsie Bennett of South Paris; four grandchildren, Brian Hathaway of Madison, N.H., Brenda LaForce and her husband Mark of Rollinsford, N.H., Sarah Stowell and her partner, Ross Neely of Minneapolis, MN, and Rachael Adams and her husband Tim of Gray; one great-grandson, Carter LaForce of Rollinsford, N.H.; and a very special friend of 72 years, Ruth Bean of Topsham.

She was predeceased by her husband, Elden Hathaway in 1993; and one brother, Donald Bennett in 1996.