Memories are the treasures that time cannot steal.
Obituary
BBetty Charlene Hathaway, 95, of Champaign, Illinois, passed away on Friday, July 17, 2026 at Brookdale Assisted Living in Urbana, Illinois. She was born on November 25, 1930, in Trilla, Illinois, to Harlan Brown and Ena Louise (Stevenson) Brown.
Charlene grew up in Toledo, Illinois, where she attended high school and was an active member of the Girls Athletic Association (GAA). On October 21, 1951, she married James Anthony "Jim" Buerkett at the Methodist Church in Toledo. Together they had three sons: Jon, Mike, and Dennis. The family lived for a time in the Pleasant Plains/Springfield area before Jim's passing. She later married John Donald "Jack" Hathaway on August 26, 1967, who she remained married to until his passing in 2014.
Charlene and her family moved to Champaign, where she made her home for the rest of her life. She worked as a secretary in the Dental Hygiene Clinic at Parkland College for approximately 25 years, retiring in 2002, where her warmth made her lifelong friends among her coworkers and the students who passed through the program. She was equally close with her neighbors, always ready for a chat, and was a familiar face at the Original Pancake House, where she was known to order decaf coffee and her favorite fruit, strawberries with powdered sugar. Charlene had quite the green thumb — she grew beautiful roses and her own strawberries, which she turned into strawberry preserves everyone loved. She also had a garden full of birdhouses, which she painted herself and named individually, and was famous in the family for her angel food cake, always the star of any birthday celebration. Her favorite colors were pink and green. To her great-grandchildren, she was known and adored as "Gigi." Charlene never missed a chance to support her kids and grandkids — she was a fixture at sporting events, graduations, and every milestone in between, always with a camera in hand to capture the moment.
Charlene is survived by her son, Dennis (Janice "Jan") Buerkett; her nephew, Mark Lashmet, son of Dave and Frances Lashmet; her cousin, Roger Clark, who she loved and treated as one of her own; her grandchildren, Ashley Buerkett (Garrick Nelson), Karlee Buerkett (Paul Panno), William "Will" Buerkett (Katie), and Kyle Buerkett (Rebecca); and her great-grandchildren, Samuel, Caroline, Noah, and Amelia.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Harlan and Ena Louise Brown; her husbands, Jim Buerkett and Jack Hathaway; her sons, Jon Buerkett and James Michael "Mike" Buerkett; her daughter-in-law, Dana Buerkett; her daughter-in-law, Jennifer Buerkett; her granddaughter, Morgan "Moe" Buerkett; her sister, Frances Lashmet; her brother-in-law, Dave Lashmet; her niece, Lesa Sutton; her aunt, Evelyn Stevenson Clark; her cousin, Steve Clark; and other cherished family and loved ones.
She will be missed dearly by those that knew her. She was kind-hearted, patient, truthful, witty, loyal, creative, thoughtful, fun and so genuinely good natured and we’re all so much richer to have had her in our lives.
Services will be held at Morgan Funeral Home, 1304 Regency Dr W, Savoy, IL 61874 with the time and date to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Charlene's honor to the Parkland College Foundation, where she spent 25 wonderful years and made countless lifelong friends among her coworkers and students.
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1304 Regency Dr W,
Savoy, IL 61874
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Checks can be mailed to:
Parkland College Foundation
2400 W. Bradley Avenue
Champaign, IL 61821
Memo Line: In memory of Charlene Hathaway
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