HATFIELD, Carson
Everett Carson Hatfield, age 97, died peacefully on December 1 at Magog Hospital after a brief illness.
Carson was born on March 29, 1927 in Blackey, Virginia, to Taylor Hatfield and Orpha [née] Stacy. Carson’s early years were spent in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Upon graduating from Hurley High School (Virginia) in 1945, Carson enlisted in the United States Army at Fort Lawton, Seattle, Washington. After training in Washington, California and Tennessee, World War II ended before Carson went overseas.
The GI Bill entitled Carson to attend college, which he began in 1947 at Concord College, Athens, West Virginia. Concord didn’t satisfy his academic interests so Carson transferred toEast Tennessee State College in 1949. Carson knew a student at nearby King’s College in Bristol, Tennessee but when he asked her out, she told him she was now engaged: “But maybe you would like to go out with my roommate, Mary Teale.” Despite the fact that she was studying for finals, Mary agreed to this blind date and when she saw Carson waiting for her at the foot of the stairs, she thought “Oh,[no]” because he was so good-looking. He thought the same thing about her and they soon were dating regularly. When Mary’s parents heard about this charming Virginian (Mary was from Connecticut), they planned to enroll Mary at a school far away up North (the family story is that Mary’s father, an English clergyman, referred to Carson as “the warm breeze blowing up from the South”). To avoid being separated, Mary and Carson promptly eloped on March 25, 1950, and began married life in Bristol. Fortunately, after they met him, Carson’s new in-laws liked and approved of Mary’s choice, although it was the end of her studies at King’s College.
Finding Eastern Tennessee State College too expensive, Carson transferred back to Concord College along with Mary and baby Mark, born in Roanoke, Virginia, 1951. Carson and family then moved to Erie, Pennsylvania in 1952, where Carson transferred to and graduated from Erie Business School in 1954. Liberty Mutual Insurance Company hired Carson for their Huntington, West Virginia office in 1954, where Allison was added to the family. Lumberman’s Mutual Insurance Company took the Hatfields to Charleston, West Virginia where Gretchen was born in 1957. After a stint with Lumberman’s in Toledo, Ohio, Carson and family moved to Lexington, Ohio, where he worked at the company’s national headquarters in Mansfield, Ohio, eventually as Vice-President of Sales.
During the annual summer sojourn to her parents’ cottage on Lake Lovering, Mary found and fell in love with the patrimonial Packard House on Georgeville’s East Road. Eager for a new life adventure, Carson bought the house in 1971, retired from Lumberman’s, and emigrated to Canada with Mary and Gretchen in 1974. While their new home had ‘character’, it also needed extensive rehabilitation, a journey that took several years.
In 1978, Carson and Mary were offered a joint ministry position as youth leaders for the Quebec-Sherbrooke Presbytery of the United Church of Canada. They accepted the position and the newly-formed youth forum program blossomed under their direction. Events were planned by the youth themselves, often meeting at the Hatfield home. By 1981, Carson turned over his share of the joint ministry to Mary but continued to be a key support behind the scenes. Mary would continue working with the United Church for another 16 years. Carson’s ministerial and organizational skills had not gone unnoticed. When the Waterloo United Church needed a minister sometime in the 1990s, they asked Carson to take on the role for one year. Carson’s interaction with his congregation developed into rich friendships, with golf outings and picnic gatherings at the Hatfield home.
After a brief return to business as a spokesperson for Dale Carnegie in Montreal, Burlington, Vermont and Portland, Maine, Carson retired to the full-time job of managing the Georgeville family home, with its house, barn and 45 acres. For eight years he was also a caregiver for his mother Orpha, who at Carson's urging had moved to Derby, Vermont from Virginia so that he could better care for her. After the decision to downsize, Carson and Mary sold the Packard House and moved to Magog in 2013, only to move back to Georgeville, and the East Road at a different location, in 2015. Gretchen relocated from Connecticut in 2015 to help them in their later years and soon the new Hatfield house became a family gathering place for children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Carson loved reading, walking, playing golf and watching the numerous wildlife of the area that visited the property. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family. Despite saying goodbye to his beloved Mary in 2021, Carson continued to enjoy and learn from life. As his son Mark said: “Dad was authentic. Generous. Compassionate. He was a man who had principles and courage.” And while those who love him will miss his friendly smile, positive outlook, and unfailing love and support, we celebrate that he is reunited with Mary in the Realm that knows no separation.
Carson is survived by his children: his son, Rev. Dr. Mark Hatfield (Alice Hatfield), Pomeroy Ridge, New Brunswick; his daughter Allison Hatfield (Jonathan Whitney), Waterford, Maine; his daughter Gretchen Hatfield (Farzin Farzaneh), Georgeville; grandchildren Aaron Hatfield, Ian Conyngham, Jessica Priola, Calvin Hatfield, and Leah Schultz; and great-grandchildren Aria Priola, James Priola, Madeleine Hatfield, and Sawyer Mary Hatfield. He is predeceased by his wife, Mary Teale Hatfield, his parents Taylor and Orpha, and his half-sister Lois Adams.
The Hatfield family is very thankful for the kind staff members at Magog Hospital Palliative care who kept Carson comfortable during his time there.
A celebration for the life of Carson will be held at a future date.
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