Greensburg woman remembered as 'great teacher'

Nancy Hogue turned a job teaching for the U.S. Defense Department into an opportunity to travel all over Europe and beyond.

Five years into her teaching career, Mrs. Hogue took a position teaching the children of U.S. military personnel at Air Force bases in Puerto Rico; Labrador, Canada; and Zaragoza, Spain.

“She traveled quite a bit while she was there (in Spain). … I vividly remember the slides she had of all the places she visited,” said her daughter, Beth Mizikar.

Mrs. Hogue traveled to Turkey, Jerusalem, Russia, Egypt and other countries. “Her love of travel continued throughout her life,” Mizikar said.

Nancy Jean Hogue of Greensburg died Tuesday, March 26, 2019. She was 88.

Born in Greensburg on July 4, 1930, she was the daughter of the late Thomas and Margaret (Appel) Giles. She graduated from Greensburg High School in 1948 and Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1952.

Mrs. Hogue started her teaching career at Southwest Greensburg Elementary School (1952-57). After spending seven years overseas, she returned and took a job at the Hempfield Area School District, where she taught for 30 years.

“She was in almost every (Hempfield) elementary building,” Mizikar said. “I had her as a substitute teacher once in the second grade.”

She worked as a classroom teacher and then returned to IUP to get her master’s in reading. She worked as a reading specialist in the elementary grades for the rest of her career, retiring in 1993.

“I have occasionally run into a few former students, and they always tell me how much they loved having her as a teacher and what a great teacher she was,” Mizikar said.

Mrs. Hogue knew her future husband, Theodore H. Hogue, in high school and was reintroduced to him at their 10th high school reunion. They got married in 1964.

She was a member and past president of the Greensburg College Club, a women’s club that holds educational events and awards college scholarships to area high school students. The club was founded in 1918 by a group of college-educated women interested in helping the war effort during World War I.

She also enjoyed playing bridge, reading and playing the piano and organ.

Mrs. Hogue was preceded in death by her husband, Theodore H. Hogue.

She is survived by a son, Theodore T. Hogue of Greensburg; a daughter, Beth Mizikar, and her husband, Jeff, of South Greensburg; and two grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Barnhart Funeral Home, 505 E. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg. Interment will follow at Westmoreland County Memorial Park, Greensburg.