G.E. Hawthorne Jr. | Sales manager, 103

George E. Hawthorne Jr., 103, of Glenmoore, a retired sales manager and sportsman, died Wednesday, Dec. 29, at Chester County Hospital.

For more than 45 years, Mr. Hawthorne worked in sales for Bethlehem Steel Corp. He became a regional sales manager for industrial fasteners used in the construction of bridges, skyscrapers, and ships. He retired in 1972.

He and his wife, Dorothy Reid Hawthorne, met at Bethlehem Steel's office in Philadelphia, where she was a switchboard operator. They raised two daughters in Strafford and were married for 63 years before her death in 2005.

Mr. Hawthorne graduated from Roxborough High School, where he was a guard on the basketball team and an infielder on the baseball team. He later played semipro baseball. He was a longtime member of St. Davids Golf Club. He delighted in routinely scoring below his age until giving up the game at 95, his family said.

Mr. Hawthorne is survived by daughters Nancy J. Ames and Susan Behrndt; a sister; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, at St. Elizabeth Church, 100 Fellowship Rd., Chester Springs.