At age 89, Sonia Lee Hathaway passed away peacefully in her San Marino home in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 26th.
Born in San Francisco to Franklin and Letha Reynolds, she spent her early childhood years there and most notably at the age of 4, experienced opening day of the Golden Gate Bridge sitting atop her father’s shoulders as he walked the span May 27th, 1937.
She was an only child, and eventually the family of three relocated to the Pasadena area, where Sonia attended what was then named South Pas San Marino High.
There she met the love of her life, Austin Hodge Hathaway Jr. (a.k.a. “Buz” Hathaway).
Sonia and Buz were a celebrated couple at the high school but were separated after graduation, when Buz attended Claremont McKenna College, enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Germany until 1956.
Meanwhile, Sonia attended the University of Southern California where she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She enjoyed many social and academic aspects of USC and always said those were some of the best years of her life — until she was reunited with Buz upon his return from Germany. After enjoying a wonderful two-year courtship, they were married on April 12, 1958, at the St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church in San Marino.
Sonia had the gift of being quite photogenic and during her first few years of marriage, she worked as a model in the print advertising industry. That brief career came to an end when she found herself once again moving back up to Northern California, now with her adoring husband Buz and a beautiful home in Los Altos.
Buz and Sonia soon became proud parents of two children both born at the Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto. Austin Hodge Hathaway III (a.k.a. ‘Trey’) born in November of 1962 and Ashley Hathaway in April of 1966.
In 1968, another move brought the family of four back down to Southern California to live on Plymouth Road in San Marino, where they all enjoyed a wonderful life together full of friends, family gatherings, holiday celebrations, many vacations to Mexico, and lots relaxing pool time at their second home in the desert community of Indian Wells.
Over the years, Sonia was very active in many local volunteer and social organizations, including The San Marino PTA, the San Marino Chapter of National Charity League, The Junior League of Pasadena, The Town Club of Pasadena, and The Luminaires (Los Angeles Doheny Eye Institute). She was also an avid home cook and gained quite a reputation for her “made from scratch” delights.
Sonia is survived by her husband Buz Hathaway, her brother-in-law Harry Hathaway, son Trey Hathaway, daughter Ashley Hathaway, her daughter-in-law Janet Hathaway and son-in-law Timothy Zgraggen, as well as her three grandchildren Madison Hathaway, Georgia Hathaway and Taylor Hathaway.
Per Sonia’s wishes, no services will be held. Donations in her name may be made to the Luminaires or the Doheny Eye Institute of Los Angeles.
