Josephine Ellen Hathway

Josephine Ellen Hathway of Bethesda, Maryland passed away peacefully on December 2, 2024 surrounded by her family.

Josie was born in 1966 to Mary and Don Hathway, the youngest of eleven children. She is pre-deceased by her beloved husband Edison Orellana (2017) with whom she has two daughters, Sophia (18) and Georgette (15). 

Josie had an adventurous life, full of laughter, faith, and joy. After graduating from Loyola College, Josie moved to New Orleans to serve in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a case worker for the Desire housing project. Upon returning to Maryland, she worked for the Private Industry Council followed by many years at the U.S. Conference of Mayors. When she and Edison moved to Ecuador to raise their family, she taught English at an IB high school in Quito. More recently she worked as a paraeducator for Montgomery County schools. In true Josie fashion, she was also a licensed massage therapist and birth doula.

Her strong faith in God, her devotion to her children, her outsized love of life, her closeness to her siblings, her warm, non-judgmental presence, her sense of humor and ability to make everything, even painful things, funny, will stay in the hearts of those who loved her forever.

She is survived by her children Sophia and Georgie and her late husband Edison’s children Michelle and Francisco, her siblings Ceci Greco (Bob), Susie Lamontagne (Richard), Annie McGlynn (Kevin), Donny Hathway (Debbie), David Hathway, John Hathway (Mary Margaret), Mary K Savercool (John), Charlie Hathway (Maureen), Maggie Lane (John), and Elizabeth Muir (Chris), and 72 nieces, nephews and grand nieces and nephews.

A Visitation and Christian Service will be held Friday, December 6, at 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m., respectively, at the Knights of Columbus, 9707 Rosensteel Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland, with a reception at the Knights to follow. Prior to those events, on the same day, a Catholic Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 10:45 a.m. at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, 10103 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20902.

In lieu of flowers, donations to an educational trust fund for Josie’s daughters may be made to the Childrens’ Trust under the Last Will and Testament of Josephine E. Hathway (or to Charles Hathway, Trustee)  c/o Charles Hathway, Trustee, 2104 Cascade Road, Silver Spring, MD 20902.

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