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Jean Gates Brockway, 93, passed peacefully on January 11, 2022, at the Village at White River Junction.

She was born May 5, 1928, in Sharon, Vermont, a daughter of James and Maude (Lannen) Gates. Jean spent her youth in South Royalton where her family lived until they moved to White River Junction when she was a teenager. After graduating from Hartford High School, Class of 1946, Jean worked for a time as an operator at New England Telephone before attending Mary Hitchcock School of Nursing in Hanover. In 1948 she was married to Byron Hathorn and together they operated his family's dairy farm in Hartford, where they raised their five children. Jean and Byron stopped operating the dairy farm in 1964 and for several years after, Jean worked at Brookside Nursing Home in White River Jct. Jean was married a second time, to John Brockway in 1973, and they lived "on the hill" in Sharon, VT for more than twenty years. Jean was active in Sharon community affairs, including serving as Town Clerk for many years and as a founding board member of The Sharon Academy. Following Mr. Brockway's death in 1993, Jean moved to Hemlock Ridge in Wilder where she served on the HOA board. More recently, Jean lived at Valley Terrace for a time before moving to The Village at White River Junction where she has resided since 2019.

Jean enjoyed spending time in the outdoors, especially golfing, skiing, and taking walks. She greatly enjoyed traveling with John in their retirement, especially to Caribbean islands, Europe, and to Belize in Central America. She volunteered for many different causes and received a prestigious appointment to serve on the Vermont Judicial Conduct Board.

Jean was the ultimate Vermont matriarch. She was steadfast and loving, prudent and fun, hard-working and cynical in just the right way. She gave excellent advice and maintained a razor-sharp wit to the very end.

She was predeceased by her husband, John, a son Robert Hathorn; three sisters Elsie Sides, Edna Steward and Beatrice Griswold and two brothers John and Beecher Gates.

She leaves her brother, Tom Gates of Teaneck, NJ; children, Byron C. Hathorn, Jr (Scooter) of Ely, VT, Patricia Wall (Bill) of Riverhead, NY, Roberta Duval (John) of New Bern, NC, and Mary Shave (Paul) of Sittee River, Belize; a stepdaughter Mary Martin (Jeff) of East Corinth, VT; ten grandchildren, Lily (Hathorn) Chard, Whitney Hathorn, Ali (Hathorn) Brandt, Jeff Gaudette, Chris Gaudette, Nikki (Duval) Fortier, John Duval, Greg Duval, Jeremy Hathorn and Jacob Hathorn; several step-grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren and many treasured nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at the Sharon Congregational Church Saturday January 15 ^th at 2PM. A graveside service will be held Sunday, June 5, 2022 at 11AM in the Pine Hill Cemetery in Sharon, VT. A celebration of life will follow at the Sharon Academy.

Contributions in her memory may be made to The Sharon Academy, PO Box 207, Sharon, VT 05065