Genie Hatch

Dorothy Eugenia Hatch (“Genie”, nee Henson), of St. Charles, Missouri, 1940-2024. We lost our dear Mom, Baba, sister, aunt and friend very suddenly on July 19, 2024, at the age of 83. She was in the midst of a typical week of Bridge playing, leading Sunday school class and staying up to date with her voracious reading, for both leisure and being an informed, thoughtful, engaged citizen. She may have lived many years, but we felt confident she had a lot of life left with us.

Eugenia grew up primarily in Missouri as the oldest of three, applying her highly organized, capable and take-charge personality to all aspects of her life. She graduated from The College of Wooster in 1962 and became a teacher for several years, capitalizing on her summer break in 1965 to spend two months (with just two dresses!) traveling throughout Europe on a shoestring budget.

In December, 1965 she married Robert J. Hatch of Licking, MO, welcoming their first daughter the following November. A tragic target practice accident left her a young, pregnant widow and single parent at the age of 28. Of necessity, Genie demonstrated her remarkable strength as she raised two daughters in Wentzvile, MO: taking them to NYC at ages 2 and 4 (by herself); driving in a VW Beetle to the West Coast at ages 3 and 5 with her sister; earning her Master’s degree in Library Science by driving over 160 miles round trip daily for her classes during their early elementary school years. (Thank you, Hansen Family, for hosting us!)

Genie served as city librarian and then city planner for St. Charles from 1978-2004. Retirement gave her more time to do all that she enjoyed. She loved to travel, visiting all 50 states and a total of 37 countries on five continents. She enjoyed attending dance, theater and symphony performances, art museums and the St. Louis Zoo. A very active member of the Wentzville United Methodist Church for well over 50 years, she was teaching a Sunday School class and leading a book group at the time of her passing. Outside of her church, she organized several Bridge groups, was a member of AAUW (American Association of University Women), and participated in a monthly “Conversation Group” that began in 1999 with a group of friends. On those Saturdays, the women gathered to address the world’s biggest challenges – and share brunch.

Intellectual engagement was primary to Genie’s identity. She tracked every book she read (an average of one per week), was a discerning Biblical scholar, having engaged in studies of its full text, and attended Spanish lessons. Genie was an activist. She believed deeply in the political process and the need to hold ourselves – as Americans – to the highest aspirations of our democracy, including justice for everyone. She would have been so pleased to actively support Kamala Harris’ Presidential aspirations.

It wasn’t just her time that she spent thoughtfully, but her finances as well. Genie’s giving was generous, disciplined and systematic. She gave regularly to dozens of organizations that had passed her rigorous evaluation of their spending priorities. May we all learn from her model of how to be responsible and caring members of our local, national and global communities. Genie may have had criticisms for the ways our world falls short, but it never dissuaded her from actively working to form it into a gentler, more equitable place for its people.

Genie is survived by her daughters Shelby Hatch (Ann-Louise Haak) and Holly Hatch-Surisook (Joe), her sister Oneta Afentoulis (Emmanuel), and four grandchildren: Chris Bangs, Marcus Haak, and Freya and Jasper Hatch-Surisook. She is preceded in death by her husband, Robert J. Hatch, her parents Virginia and Samuel Henson, Jr., and her brother, Samuel Henson III.

Memorial services will be held at Wentzville United Methodist Church on Tuesday, July 30th. Visitation at 10am, Service from 11am-noon. Burial at Licking Cemetery, Licking MO.

Donations may be made to the Wentzville United Methodist Church, Genie Hatch Memorial (725 Wall St., Wentzville, MO 63385) or in her memory to Feeding America. (https://give.feedingamerica.org/a/donate-in-honor, Receipt to: hhatchsurisook@gmail.com)