Posted by Newspaper Transcriber on Saturday, October 21, 2006 at 14:42:36 :

Carol A. Hatcher

Carol A. Hatcher loved all kinds of crafts and created a wealth of things like table runners, placemats and theme or holiday wreaths that she gave to friends or family or sold at crafts shows.

"She loved that most of all," said her husband, Robert A. Hatcher Sr. of Elk Grove. "She liked to keep busy. She couldn't stand to just sit."

Mrs. Hatcher died Sept. 28 in Elk Grove, Calif., due to cancer, at 72.

She was born Jan. 11, 1934, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she grew up and married her husband on Sept. 21, 1951. In 1968, the family came to Half Moon Bay, where Mrs. Hatcher lived for 35 years.

Mrs. Hatcher loved bowling, and worked as a secretary with the Shirts and Skirts Bowling League in San Mateo for 20 years. She also worked in office administration and management with the Emergency Medical Association of then-Mills and Peninsula hospitals (now Mills-Peninsula Hospital) on the Peninsula, for 25 years.

But a great love of hers was her craft work, which she sold at crafts shows around the Bay Area - and also at the Pumpkin Festival.

"It was her big thing," said her husband.

Family was also big for Mrs. Hatcher, who became a major influence on not only her children but also their friends, said daughter, Janet Sue Patrick of Edmond, Okla.

"She was always happy. She didn't know a stranger, and she had an incredibly generous heart," said Mrs. Hatcher's daughter, noting that whenever friends dropped by, she would welcome them in and make sure there was always plenty of food for all. "Our house was the one everyone hung out at. And she always had time to listen."

Mrs. Hatcher is preceded in death by her daughter, Geri Lou Micallef of Sacramento, who died in January, 2002.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Robert A. Hatcher Sr. of Elk Grove, and her children and their families: Robert A. (Jr.) and Robyn Hatcher, and granddaughters Courtney and Tara Hatcher of El Granada, Janet Sue and James Patrick and grandson Michael Patrick of Edmond, Okla., and Richard S. and Sara Hatcher, and grandchildren Haley and Zachary Hatcher of Half Moon Bay.

She is survived by grandson Christopher Hopper, with wife Jordan and great-granddaughter Rylee, and granddaughter Brooke Hopper, all of Edmond, Okla., and grandson Joe Micallef and wife Sara, and great-grandsons Joey and Gavin Micallef, all of Elk Grove.

She is also survived by mother-in-law Geraldine Hatcher and sister-in-law Kathy Hatcher, both of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and siblings Robert Wagner of Foster City, Gary Wagner of Sierra Vista, Ariz., Elaine Smith of Denver and Francie Gnader of Mesquite, Texas and many nieces and nephews.

"She loved her family and friends more than anything in the world and will be missed by all who knew and loved her," said her husband.

Memorial services for Mrs. Hatcher are scheduled for 1 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Community United Methodist Church at 777 Miramontes St. in Half Moon Bay.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Mercy Hospice c/o Mercy Foundation, 3400 Data Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 94670-7956.

Half Moon Bay Review and Pescadero Pebble, Wednesday, October 11, 2006