Hiram Wesley Hogg, 102, passed away on Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at NHC in Bristol, VA.
Hiram was born February 23, 1908, in Roxana, KY to the late Kelly and Martha Ison Hogg. He was raised in Kentucky not long after the time of the Hatfield and McCoy feud, which took place close to the area of his heritage. He recalled the many stories of that epic drama in American folk lore, which he gleefully recounted and further embellished.
He attended Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) and Moorhead College in Kentucky. During his junior year in college, at the time of the Depression, he had to return home and teach in a one-room elementary school in order to help support his family. He later moved to West Virginia, finding employment with a steel mill as an equipment operator of a large overhead crane that moved heavy crucibles filled with molten steel. He lived in the Gauley Bridge area and Fayetteville, WV, for over forty years. He met his wife Gladys Irene Gray and was happily married for sixty-seven years until she passed away in 2004. He worked as an insurance agent for Peoples Life Insurance Co. for many years.
In addition to his parents and wife, Hiram was preceded in death by his infant sons Kelley Stevenson Hogg and Bob Wesley Hogg.
Hiram attributed his longevity to a happy life and a caring family. He was a member of Scenic Park Baptist Church and attended Victory Baptist Church. His favorite pastimes were gardening, hunting and fishing. He was a great story teller and enjoyed reminiscing about his travels across country by train during the Great Depression and the diverse people he met during his life.
The family would like to thank the NHC 3rd floor nursing staff for the exceptional care they provided to Mr. Hogg.
Survivors include his daughters: Debra Garland and husband Jim of Bristol, VA; Betty Reddy of Cocoa Beach, FL; Shirley Alvandian of Locust Grove, VA; and Joyce Gross and husband George of Middletown, OH; three sisters: Panny Stallard, Mae Boggs and Millie Wright, all of Kentucky; eleven grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; seven great-great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral service for Hiram Hogg will be held on Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 1:00 pm at Victory Baptist Church in Bristol, VA, with Dr. Austin Cook officiating. The burial will follow at Forest Hills Memory Gardens in Abingdon, VA. Joey Sibio, Lynn Sproles, Danny Jessee, Dallas Hayden, Stan Cook and Bill Faber will serve as pallbearers.
The family will receive friends from 12:00-12:45 pm on Saturday at the church.