Caleb Richard "Rick" Hathaway Jr.

Caleb Richard "Rick" Hathaway, Jr., 79, of Sebastian, Florida, passed away at home on January 21, 2026.

He was born in Washington, D.C., to Caleb and Catherine Smith Hathaway and grew up with an older sister, Susan, and a younger sister, Jean. The family spent most of Rick's childhood in the Maryland suburbs near Washington, with brief stints in Prairie Village, Kansas, and Fort Collins, Colorado, where young Rick became fond of fishing with his father. They also shared a love of hiking and canoeing, heading out on the water or into the forest together well into Caleb's nineties. The family's love for the outdoors later passed to Rick's two daughters.

Bright and a little shy, young Rick was a Boy Scout, camp counselor, and a very diligent student who excelled at Walter Johnson High School, where he formed lifelong friendships with a small group of intellectually curious peers. He graduated from Haverford College with a degree in economics and a passion for math, history, and art. At Haverford, he organized student activism for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. In the summers, he lived with his parents and worked at a think tank to help pay tuition. After college, he taught elementary school in West Philadelphia and Oakland public schools. Living simply, he saved money to set out as a seeker and see the world. By bike, shared VW van, train, and finally by foot, he journeyed from Luxembourg to Istanbul and eastward to spend cherished time in India, where he walked in the Himalayas and sat at Rishikesh and Kainchi.

Returning to the Bay Area in 1972, he began a master's in economics at Stanford. His travels, however, inspired two new goals: to live in community and to meditate daily. As a result, he left Stanford and joined a Sikh community, marrying and welcoming his first daughter. The family then moved to a spiritual community that later became Kashi Ashram, relocating from Arizona to New York, and finally settling in Sebastian, Florida, in the late 1970s. Along the way, he worked odd jobs, from cabby to carpenter, eventually finding his vocation in business, managing logistics for Macho Products. Though he and his first wife divorced, they lived nearby so he could be a part of his daughter's life as she grew up.

After several years, he remarried Sue Staples Hathaway. Together, they shared 38 wonderful years of kindness, care, and humor, including raising a daughter born in 1989. At Kashi, Rick assumed the spiritual name Narayana. He also led many facilities improvement projects and volunteered nights at the River House, Kashi's HIV/AIDS respite house in the 1990s. He taught high school math at the River School before heading to work and tutored afterwards. With Sue, he represented Kashi on Sebastian's Ecumenical Council and delivered Meals on Wheels. He delighted in creating and maintaining nature trails throughout Kashi, and late in life, walking the grounds continued to bring him comfort despite the challenges posed by Parkinson's.

Grandchildren lit up his later years. He enjoyed nothing more than seeing them run and explore, following along at a protective distance. After retiring from Macho, he devoted himself completely to the roles of "Papa" and simple steward to the community he loved. He was well-loved in return and will be greatly missed.

His parents and sisters predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, Shaivite and Girija, and their spouses, as well as his grandchildren and many dear old friends. He will be laid to rest at Kashi on the grounds he walked for five decades. A celebration of life will be held in Sebastian at the end of March.

Arrangements are under the direction of Millennium Cremation Service. Condolences may be shared online at www.millenniumcremationservice.com.