Joan Hughes (Connelly) Hogan

Joan Hughes Hogan, formerly of Trumansburg, passed away peacefully at her home in Schenectady surrounded by her family on April 28th.

Joan was born in Elmira, NY on September 7, 1935, the daughter of Dr. Humphrey Connelly and Kathryn Hughes Connelly. She graduated from Elmira Free Academy in 1953 and St Joseph’s School of Nursing in 1956. In September of 1956 she decided to devote her life to God and entered the order of Sisters of Saint Joseph’s convent in Rochester NY. However she became deathly ill and was diagnosed with what is now Crohn’s disease. She was so sick that she had to leave the convent. Her uncle, Dr. Gerald Connelly researched and found out about a new drug that saved her life. After she recovered, she rekindled her courtship with Bill Hogan. They were married in January 1959 and spent 62 wonderful years together until his death in 2021. After living in Binghamton and Cortland, NY, they built their dream home in Trumansburg NY in 1969 and their youngest child was born just 10 days later. They built a beautiful life in Trumansburg. For a city girl, Joan quickly adapted to rural life. When the golf course opened next door, she dropped everything and met her friends on the course, bringing her toddler along with her. She caught the golf bug and was the Ladies Club Champion in 1975.

Joan worked as a nurse in many capacities. She worked at The Odd Fellows nursing home, The Tompkins County Hospital, for Drs. Krantz, Kauffman and Piliero and even went back to work at the age of 80 one day a week with Dr. Piliero! She found her favorite job in 1982 as the Trumansburg High School nurse. She was beloved by students and staff alike. She was always there to lend an ear, a shoulder to cry on or just a place to hang out when needed. She was a class advisor to many classes and was a chaperone on many senior trips. She retired in 1997 after 15 years. This job enabled her to do all of the things that she enjoyed in the summer. She loved gardening, picking raspberries, blueberries and helping Bill tend the vegetable garden and fruit trees. She was famous for her homemade pickles, jams, jellies and pies. She also played in the ladies Thursday night golf league and loved going to ladies day tournaments all over Central NY. She and Bill also went on an annual golf trip with their stock club friends. She loved mowing the lawn and was very proud to have mowed her own lawn with her John Deere zero-turn mower until she was 85. She helped Bill in his woodshop and became quite the woodworker herself, creating and painting a set of “Hogan Houses” for all of the kids. She made all sorts of wooden holiday decorations as well. She always enjoyed sports, playing tennis in school, being a swim instructor and lifeguard at Camp Villa Maria in Elmira. She also enjoyed horse riding as a child in Elmira. She was a softball coach and avid fan at countless football, basketball, volleyball and softball games. She bowled in the women’s league at Tri-County Lanes in the 1970s. She loved watching the Ithaca College Bombers football games with Bill and loved watching her beloved NY Mets. Joan was very active in the community. She volunteered with the Salvation Army, the food bank, and the GEMM shop. After she retired she became very active with the Ulysses Historical Society and served as the president for 10 years.

She was a faithful member of St James, The Apostle Church where she was a Eucharistic minister and taught Pre-Cana classes with Bill. Her greatest joy was raising her five children and visiting her grandchildren and entertaining them at her home. She loved them all fiercely and enjoyed being an active part of their lives. Everyone loved her famous fudge and her homemade cookies. She was always there to lend a hand, often being the nurse to kids in the neighborhood. She was always calm, cool and collected in any situation. She was a loyal friend and neighbor to many in Trumansburg. She loved the simple pleasures of life: reading her newspaper, a good book, and watching a movie.

She is survived by her five children: Matthew (Karen), Martin (Jeanne), MaryEllen Lenart (Tony), Timothy, (Angela) and Katherine (Sepehr), twelve grandchildren: April Pocius (Michael), Jonathan Hogan (Shaina), Jessica Ferrin (Christian), Connor Hogan, Kevin Lenhart, Keith Lenhart (Cierra), Megan and Emma Hogan, Kayhaan Farahbakhshian, Matthew and Robert Rice and Holly Woloshik, three great grandsons: Grant Pocius, Gabriel Ferrin and Lev Hogan and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law Mary Ann Kasper, Virginia Connelly and Margaret Connelly Palmer. She was predeceased by her husband William and her granddaughter Abigail Hogan as well as her two brothers, John H. Connelly and Charles F. Connelly. The family would like to thank the residents and staff at Kingsway Village in Schenectady for welcoming her and being so kind and gracious and to the staff at Kingsway Homecare who cared for her. The family asks those that would like to make a contribution in Joan’s memory to kindly consider the Ulysses Historical Society, PO Box 455 Trumansburg, NY or The Parish of Mary Mother of Mercy, St. James Church, PO Box 403, Interlaken, NY 14847.

Friends and families are invited to calling hours on Friday, May 6th from 5:00 - 7:00pm at Ness Sibley Funeral Home, 23 South St. Trumansburg NY. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 7th at 11:00am at St. James Catholic Church, 17 Whig Street, Trumansburg. Prayers of Committal will immediately follow at St. James Cemetery in Trumansburg.