David Hathaway

David Lawrence Hathaway, of Rockton, IL, was born on March 4, 1962 and just recently celebrated his 64th birthday. He was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio. A proud Middletown Middie, he graduated from Middletown High School in 1980. He went on to attend college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and graduated in 1985 with a Paper Science and Engineering degree. At Miami he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Several of his fraternity brothers became life-long friends and were kind enough to bestow him with the nickname of “Eb” (Eb was the naïve but good-hearted farmhand on the TV show Green Acres).

After graduating from college, David began his career in the paper industry, first serving as a Paper Machine Manager and later as Assistant Plant Superintendent with Jefferson Smurfit Corporation in Circleville, OH and Carthage, IN. In 1996, he relocated to Beloit, Wisconsin, to join Beloit Corporation. Following the company’s closure in 2000, David continued his work in the industry with Valmet, where he served as a Product Manager. He went on to spend the majority of his career—15 years—with ANDRITZ Pulp and Paper. David concluded his professional journey with Core Link, Inc., based in Greenville, Wisconsin. Throughout his career, he traveled extensively and formed lasting relationships with colleagues around the world.

David loved sports, both growing up and as an adult, and enjoyed working out. He ran cross country and track in high school and participated in all kinds of intramural sports in college. Over the years, he loved walking and hiking with his children and extended family. They all have fond memories of hikes at Devils Lake, Hueston Woods, Door County, as well as many of the National Parks. Beyond sports, David loved playing cornhole and board games, and he excelled at the Hathaway family game of euchre.

David was always a dog lover; his favorite walking companion has always been his beloved dogs (previously Buddie and currently Cooper). Without a fenced in yard, David always made sure his dogs had daily walks through the rain, snow, bitter cold, and extreme heat without fail. If Cooper could speak, he would tell us we all would have been lucky to come back as one of David’s dogs. Dave’s devotion to his dogs is beyond compare – one bite of food for David, one bite for Cooper! At the end, Cooper was beside him as his faithful, loyal friend as any of us would have been proud to be.

David was world renowned for his grilling skills. He inherited his cooking talents from his father, Carl Hathaway, who was the first master griller in the family. Over the years, David perfected his skills to become the Family Master Chef. He will always be remembered for his mouthwatering hamburgers, bratwurst, smoked chicken, and even Thanksgiving turkeys on the grill. David’s culinary skills went beyond the grill. He enjoyed cooking large breakfasts and stockpiling the refrigerator with food for the week. To say we will miss David’s cooking is a huge understatement.

The “Eb” nickname was spot-on; Kind-hearted does not begin to describe David’s generosity and huge heart. He never met a person with whom he could not strike up a conversation – his mother in heaven is proud that she passed on this admirable trait. David was the first to lend a helping hand with no questions asked. He was a master handyman and could fix anything, from simple to complex. His children, James and Katie, will treasure all the work he recently completed to help renovate their new homes. David’s genuineness came from his easy sense of humor. He kept family and friends laughing for hours with his endless supply of corny dad jokes and rapid-fire Instagram reel messages. We will all miss this part of David’s spirit the most – our worlds will be quieter and a little less fun without him.

Family time was always important to David, and the Hathaway and Taggart families and our neighbors in Illinois that became family, loved celebrations – holidays, birthdays, graduations, family reunions and more. We will treasure these memories with David and are thankful for how often the extended families could get together.

Dave married Nance in November of 1993. From the day he officially joined the Taggart family, Dave fit right in and was welcomed by all for his down-to-earth ways and fun-loving approach to life. There was an immediate mutual bond with Grandma T, the matriarch. Dave quickly adopted her special recipes with genuine excitement. He never showed up to the family reunions at Hueston Woods without Grandma T’s famous BBQ beef, a car full of food for more BBQing/cooking, and many bikes on the back of the van for a few to enjoy the 10 mile hilly ride around the lake. As long as the cabin was kept cool, he was good to brave the heat for several amazing meals which he so enjoyed sharing with everyone. He especially loved to simmer brats in beer and onions before grilling! The bike rides brought out Dave’s happy side as well, and were a nice way to end an evening, usually followed by a nice cold beer that he may have recently discovered and wanted to rave about. For the 2025 Hueston Woods trip he created a Spotify playlist of some of his favorite songs to add to the fun and keep the party going. Check it out when you’re thinking of Dave!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7kRCYA9ZF2lKQRF9vGDA89?si=dsQynEP-TEeEVTQF5kvGiw&pi=mXDWzgDeRbaAv

Over the years, there were countless memorable trips, and Dave embraced every one of them. He found joy in the smallest details—the beauty of a place, the chance to learn something new, and his curiosity naturally sparked the interest of everyone around him. Whether they were exploring museums, parks, and local attractions in the Bay Area, where his sister in-law and brother in-law, Julie and Dave M. live, or traveling to places like Yosemite, Tahoe, Monterey, or Sedona, Dave brought a childlike energy and enthusiasm to every adventure. He loved picking up bits of history and figuring out how things worked, always eager to share what he discovered. And he could always be counted on to bring the fun, dreaming up games for the kids in the pool, along the trail, or whenever energy started to dip. Sometimes that meant imaginary “tickets” to pass through a forest on a hike, turning an ordinary moment into something magical. His spirit was a gift and a light to everyone around him, and of course, his dad jokes were a hit. Watching how excited he was to tell them made it all the more special.

Lots of holidays were spent with various Taggarts. No matter the occasion, Dave went out of his way to engage with everyone and find out what was happening in their world, bringing a sense of joy with his genuine interest in everyone’s lives. For twenty years, the Hathaways spent Easter in Florida with his brother in-law, Jim, nephew, Liam, and sister in-law, Lena, where Dave was a big part of the annual Easter egg hunt, as well as their traditions of going to Yard House and spending time at the beach, swimming and playing frisbee with Tahoe, Jim’s dog. Dave’s infectious curiosity made him a joy to be around—whether he was tackling an escape room, bowling, shooting hoops, or splashing in the pool with the kids. His eye for details and beauty held strong when he visited Lena’s new home, pointing out her tree as a great spot for reading. He was always thrilled to be Dad #2 for his niece Ali and friends at Marquette weekend events, bringing his fun-loving personality and zest for life. Julie and her dog, Gracie, cherished their visits to Illinois over the past six years. Julie and Dave loved cooking together, swapping new recipes, and often sharing meals with their wonderful neighbors. Their time together always included trips to Dairy Haus for ice cream, sampling new beers, and watching new tv series—along with plenty of dog cuddles and companionship. Their days were filled with simple joys: neighborhood walks to the frisbee park with Dave and Cooper, giving the dogs special meat treats during meals, and strolling along the nearby scenic golf course. Dave never failed to pause and admire the beauty around him—the sunsets, the flowers, or the way light danced across a stone building. He had a gift for noticing life’s small moments and making sure they were truly appreciated. Dave has been such a force within the Taggart family, that in learning about his death, one of the siblings commented that he can’t imagine a world without Dave. This is a sentiment shared by the whole family.

When Nance and Dave moved to Rockton in 1997, they hit the neighbor jackpot; the kindness and support from everyone on our street has been priceless. The immediate neighbors were such a big part of Dave’s life. He was blessed to consider Stacey and Todd Byxbe, their kids, Grant and Mackenzie, David Grutze, and Laurie and Jim Yost as family. The memories from block parties, cookouts, water balloon fights, bonfires, capture the flag games, and more are treasured. They spent so much quality time together throughout the years and Dave loved every minute of it. Although he did not live in our neighborhood, we would be remiss without mentioning Dave’s best friend, Reid Tennant. House projects, sporting events, sampling beer flights, attending live music shows and seizing every possible funny photo opportunity was their MO.

David was blessed with his first grandchild, Maeve, in October 2024. He loved being a grandfather. It is heartbreaking that Maeve will not have more time with her “Pops” to truly know the wonderful man he was.

David is survived by his wife of 32 years, Nance; his loyal black lab, Cooper; his daughter, Katie (Nick); and his son, James Tyler. He is also survived by his sister, Lisa Hathaway of Saint Johns, Florida; his brother, Jeff Hathaway of Maineville, Ohio; and Jeff’s children, Parker (Cassandra) and Spencer Hathaway.

He leaves behind his brothers- and sisters-in-law, including Bill Cagle, Sally Mallicote, Theresa Williams, John Taggart, Lena Taggart, Julie McGrew (Dave), and James Taggart, as well as countless nieces and nephews, some of whom David affectionately referred to as “Cagle Nation.”

David is further survived by his stepmother, Nancy Hathaway, and his step-siblings, Brian Murphy, Pam Murphy, Kevin Murphy, and Karl Murphy.

In these hard times, the family is comforted knowing David is resting comfortably in heaven with those who preceded him in death – his father, Carl Hathaway; his mother, Patricia Hathaway; his mother-in-law, Elizabeth Taggart; his father-in-law, John M. Taggart; and his paternal and maternal grandparents. David will be greatly missed, and we were all blessed to have shared his life well-lived.

We will be having a celebration of life at McCorkle Funeral Home, 767 N. Blackhawk Blvd., Rockton, IL on Sunday, March 29th, 2026. Public visitation begins at 3:00 p.m. with a small ceremony at 4:00 p.m. Gathering with food and drinks, as Dave would have loved, at a private residence to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dave's name to Winnebago County Animal Services, https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=APXP5W5547VZY&source=url or Friends of Devil's Lake State Park, www.friendsofdevilslake.org/donate.

To honor Dave’s favorite things, we kindly invite attendees to wear attire such as Packers, Ohio State, Miami University, or Brewers gear; a dog-themed shirt; a favorite craft beer shirt; or something with a grilling theme.