Former Tourists Manager Ray Hathaway Passes Away at Age 98
Ray Hathaway, legendary manager of the Asheville Tourists and 2011 South Atlantic League Hall of Fame inductee, died at his residence on Wednesday, February 11, 2015. Believed to be the second-oldest former major league player at the time of his passing, Hathaway was 98.
The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, February 13, at West Funeral Home, 17 Merrimon Avenue, in Weaverville. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, February 14, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 10 North Liberty Street, in Asheville, with the Reverend Christopher Webb officiating. Burial will be in Asheland Gardens of Memory.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in his memory to St. Mark's Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 8608, Asheville, North Carolina 28814. Condolences may be offered to the family under Mr. Hathaway's obituary at WestFamilyFuneralServices.com.
Born October 13, 1916, in Darke County, Ohio, Hathaway had resided in the Asheville area since the 1960s. He was a combat veteran of World War II and proudly served with the 6th U.S. Naval Construction Battalion in the Battle of Guadalcanal, where he earned the Bronze Star.
Hathaway's military service interrupted a professional baseball career that began in 1939 when he played in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He proceeded to pitch in 300 minor league contests, and reached the major leagues in 1945 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, going 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA in four appearances. The righthander later served as Brooklyn's major league pitching coach.
Hathaway turned to managing as his playing days came to a close and was named skipper of the Asheville Tourists for the first time in 1951 in the Tri-State League. After a one-year absence, he returned to Asheville for the 1953 and 1954 slates and guided the Tourists to the Tri-State League regular season title during the latter campaign. Hathaway rejoined the Tourists a third time in 1961, when he led Asheville to the South Atlantic League championship. He remained with the team until midway through the 1964 season, when he and Gastonia manager Bob Clear switched places within the Pittsburgh Pirates' farm system. Hathaway stayed in prime shape as a manager and took the mound for the Tourists on three occasions in 1954 and once in 1962.
Hathaway owned the Tourists' franchise record for managerial victories for more than four decades with 518 wins before Joe Mikulik reestablished the mark. Over the course of his 25-year managerial career in the minors, Hathaway won 1,441 games.
Hathaway was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 61 years, Mary Helen Ditmer Hathaway, who passed away in 2002, infant daughter Diana Rae Hathaway, and 12 siblings. He is survived by his sons Ray Allen Hathaway and wife Laura of Greenville, South Carolina, and William A. Hathaway of Weaverville; grandchildren Lyndi K. Hathaway, Jeremy A. Hathaway and wife Jennifer, and Josh A. Hathaway and wife Jennifer, as well as many great-grandchildren.
"The Tourists are saddened by the loss of Ray Hathaway, who will always represent royalty for the Asheville Tourists," said Brian DeWine, president of the Tourists. "His name was synonymous with Tourists baseball and McCormick Field throughout much of the 1950s and 1960s. It was always a pleasure to share his quick wit and hear his incredible stories. He will be missed."