Anna Burton Hathaway

April 16, 1939–August 10, 2026

Anna Burton Hathaway passed peacefully at home at the age of 87 after a brief hospitalization and in-home hospice care. She is survived by her daughter Anna Elizabeth Hathaway Gauthier, grandchildren Frank and Austin Gauthier and her husband Rob Peck; son Michael Hathaway and his partner Jess Blackburn; son John Hathaway, his wife Lily and granddaughter May; and her beloved brother Richard Burton and his family. 

A Norfolk native, Anna Burton graduated from Maury High School in 1957 and attended Mary Washington College before marrying her high school sweetheart Walt Hathaway in 1960. They lived all over the Southeast, raised a family and made good friends wherever they went. After Walt’s unexpected death in 1991, Anna moved to Richmond and enjoyed the rest of her years living with Anna Elizabeth and the kids, including a 16-year adventure in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Anna was a St. Monica’s parishioner in Berwyn, PA and a loyal member of the Merry Widows there. 

Returning to Richmond in 2022 enabled Anna to experience Austin and Rob’s wedding festivities, appreciate several more seasons of watching the Braves and Eagles with Frank and gave her many Thursday coffee dates with her sister Frances before her own passing in 2025.

Anna’s hospice mantra “Surrender with Trust” embodied her living faith and set the tone for her homecoming. The family had a Celebration of Life with her two weekends before she died. She said it was everything she wanted it to be. At her request, a private ceremony will be held at Emerald Isle, NC next year.