Judith Hathaway

Judy is now at home with her Lord in Heaven. Judy was a wonderful sister, a friend to many, a mentor to people experiencing troubled times, a faithful member of First Christian Church and an ardent supporter of animal issues.

Judy was born May 23, 1942, in Omaha, Nebraska, the first child of Herbert and LaVerne Young. Judy was the center of attention until two years later when her sister Joanie arrived. Herb joined the war effort and was being trained by the Army Air Corp in Oklahoma when World War II ended before he was deployed. Judy struggled with childhood asthma and eventually graduated from Omaha Benson High School (home of the Mighty Bunnys) in 1960. In 1964, she graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University (Lincoln, Nebraska) and then worked in various businesses across the Midwest, including one that took her to St. Louis, Missouri, where she met Charlie Hathaway.

They married and moved to Tahlequah, and Judy's last job was assisting her late husband Dr. Charles Hathaway in his chiropractic practice. Judy was 83 when she passed away on December 12, 2025, and is survived by her sister Joanie Welsh of Omaha, Nebraska, brother Jim Young of Richfield, Minnesota, nieces Sue Violi, Molly Welsh and Betsy Young, nephews, Will, Steve and Greg Young, beloved doggie companion Jackson, and many friends, including close friends Charlie Greenwood and Candy Wolf. Judy was preceded in death by her parents Herbert & LaVerne Young, husband Tom Houllihan, artist husband Tom Cronin, and husband Dr. Charles Hathaway.

Please join us in celebrating Judy's life at First Christian Church in Tahlequah on Saturday December 20th at 10:30AM. A taco bar luncheon will be held at the church after the memorial service, so we may gather and share further fun memories of Judy.

Instead of flowers, Judy requested that any memorial donations in her name be made to First Christian Church, 746 South Cedar Avenue, Tahlequah, OK 74464 or to the Humane Society of Cherokee County, 17736 South Muskogee Avenue, Tahlequah, OK 74465.