Ethel Virginia Conner Hogan

 Ethel Virginia Conner Hogan, 97, gained her Heavenly wings on November 10, 2019. Ethel is cherished and remembered as a kind and loving wife, mother, and friend to all who knew her. Her light shone brightly until the end, even though life had taken her beloved husband and children from her far too soon. Her remaining family and many friends join together in celebration of her life.

A native of Parkersburg, WV, Ethel was born June 27, 1922, to Virgil G. and A.Rosa Meeker Conner. The first of two children, Ethel was a graduate of Parkersburg High School and the local business college, where she learned secretarial skills. In 1942, she attended a church social where she met fellow student Moody Hogan of Hinton, WV, the love of her life. When the US entered into WWII, Moody was drafted and sent to Kansas for basic training. Moving up wedding plans, Moody asked Ethel to join him. They were married in Salina, Kansas in September, 1943. Ethel left a job, home, family and everything she knew, to marry this young man and share his future. After moves to KS, AZ, and the East Coast, Ethel returned to Parkersburg when Moody went overseas to await her soldier's return.

Reunited in 1945, the young couple soon became parents to twins: a girl, Nancy Leigh, and a boy, Woodrow Wesley. Born September 1, 1946, Leigh, as she was called, was blonde and blue-eyed, and Woody was red-headed like his maternal grandfather. Soon, with babies in tow, the young family moved south to Athens, GA, where Moody enrolled in the University of Georgia to take advantage of the GI Bill. While there, they developed close friendships with two couples, Lonnie & Doris Howze and Mahlon & Dorothea Edwards, who continued as integral parts of each other's lives for life.

Job transfers led the family to NJ and AL, before finally settling down in 1963 in Gainesville, GA. As an Executive Secretary with exceptional shorthand skills, Ethel was always quick to find employment wherever they moved. Locally, she was employed by JD Jewell, Inc and Gainesville Machine Company, Inc. (now Marel Stork). She retired in 1984 to be by her husband's side whose health was declining due to heart problems. Moody, her beloved husband, died in 1985.

Ethel was a member of First Baptist Church, Gainesville, where she enjoyed singing in the choir for many years. Blessed with an angelic voice, Ethel shared her musical gift by participating over the years in church choirs wherever the family lived. but her true love in life was her role as wife and mother. Renowned for her cooking, Ethel loved holidays and the opportunity to entertain. A friend to all who knew her, Ethel was also an eternal optimist; so when life gave her lemons, she made lemonade.

Due to exposure to polio as an infant, her daughter Leigh had trouble walking, so Ethel became her advocate for medical care, as well as educational and social opportunities. This involved countless trips to polio specialists, surgeries, fittings for leg braces, physical therapy, including a summer in Warm Springs, GA. These efforts paid off as Leigh was able to walk and move about independently as a child, and as an adult, became a decorated teacher with Marietta and Cobb County Public Schools. When her daughter developed ovarian cancer in 1991, Ethel essentially 'moved in' to help Leigh with caregiving, remaining until her daughter's death in 1993. During that time, Ethel made friends with many of Leigh's co-workers and friends, which continued throughout Ethel's life.

A little over a decade later, fate struck again, and her beloved son, Woody of Canton, GA, became ill. Ethel always said she was blessed by having “the best daughter-in-law in the world” and so appreciated how his wife Frances cared for her son during his illness. Woody died in 2010 of lung cancer.

Until July, Ethel continued to live in her own home independently. Following hospitalization, she then moved to the Beehive Personal Care Home in Gainesville. Following the death of her son and after she stopped driving, many loving friends and neighbors stepped up to see that her needs were met. Special thanks is given to the Brian and Rhonda Rogers family of Lula, GA, who lovingly 'adopted' Ethel into their family and provided transportation, shopping and social opportunities.

Survivors include a sister, Myrtle Stemple (Mrs. Robert) of Belpre, OH; former daughter-in-law, Frances Hogan (John Sakers) of Acworth, GA; many cousins, plus 'adopted' family whom she loved like her own, including Mahla Edwards Swinford of Newport News, VA.

A Celebration of Life memorial service will be held on Wednesday, November 13 at 7 pm at Memorial Park North Funeral Home, Riverside Chapel, 989 Riverside Dr, Gainesville, GA 30501. Burial will be Saturday, November 16 at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Parkersburg, WV, alongside her husband, children and parents who predeceased her. Memorial contributions may be made to: Hospice of NE GA Medical Center 2150 Limestone Parkway Suite 115 Gainesville, GA 30501, the Gainesville Theater Alliance 3820 Mundy Mill Road Oakwood, GA 30566, or Boy Scouts of America P.O. Box 399 Jefferson, GA 30549, and, friends ask that in honor of Ethel, please give your loved ones an extra hug tonight. For online condolences www.memorialparkfuneralhomes.com .