After a brief illness Joel (Joe) Albert Hathaway died peacefully in his home on Jan. 24 at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife, Cindy Hathaway of Halifax; daughters Deborah Carbullido and Tracy Cronin; son Joel Hathaway; and their mother Carolyn Puleo; sons and daughters-in-law Frank Carbullido, Michael Cronin and Traci Lang; his late stepson Harry Hobbs; eight grandchildren – Raeanna Cronin (who gave him the name “Puppies), Natalia Carbullido, Robert (short-stop) Cronin, Lea (Lee-Lee) Carbullido, Alani Carbullido, Kyle Cronin, Jordan Hathaway, and Taylor Hathaway; and six great-grandchildren – Isabella Barrett, Tehani Uahinui, Riley Cronin (who’s almost as pretty as Puppies), Mayson Delgado, Liam Delgado, and the newest addition, Ophelia Shannon.
Joe was born an only child on Dec. 8 1940 to single mother Olive Augusta Hathaway in Boston. We can attribute his sense of humor to her. When he was young, he met another boy, Vincent Olivera, who was also an only child being raised by a single mother. The two became like brothers. They shared many adventures on the streets and rooftops of Boston. They remained friends all through their lives.
As a teenager, he lived with the Takedas a Japanese family who took him in as one of their own. He would fondly reflect on the time he spent as a member of their family, taking Judo lessons with the boys, and doing the dishes with Eiko, one of the sisters whom he had a special bond with. Eiko’s best friend was Carolyn Puleo, whom he married in 1962.
He met his father, Guiseppe Alberto Bagnera of Revere, when he was 35 years old. They had about three years to do some catching up until his passing at age 82.
In 1989, he met Cynthia Hobbs at a small restaurant in Wrentham. They married on April 28, 2000. They spent 34 happy years together.
Joe served a couple of years with the National Guard, worked many years at Allied Container in Dedham, worked as a custodian in the Wrentham School Department and later took care of the hall in Halifax Mobile Home Estates, where he lived. He did many side jobs and was especially handy with fixing things around the house. He loved helping his neighbors do odd jobs. He didn’t like to accept any monetary compensation, but beer was OK!
He made countless friends and always would lend a hand if anyone needed anything. His quick-witted sense of humor made it easy for anyone to instantly take a liking to him. He will be missed greatly for he touched so many lives.