Frances Irene Hoge

Frances Irene Hoge, 89, of Niceville, FL, the beloved wife of Philip R. Hoge for 70 years, passed away peacefully on July 13, 2024, after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

She was born in Columbus Hospital, Seattle, WA to the late Paul F. Corskie and Irene M. Ethier an only child.

Frances graduated from Lincoln High School, Seattle, with honors on June 8, 1953, and just nine months later, she married Philip R Hoge. They were married on March 19, 1954, at the Haller Lake United Methodist Church in Seattle, WA. Over the next 31 years, as a military wife, Frances traveled all over the United States (New York, Missouri, Washington, Virginia, and Ohio) while raising four children. Frances was a terrific wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Frances loved animals’ particularly horses, dogs, and cats. She did not work until all four children had finished high school. During those years, Frances focused on the children: education, PTA, Scouts, and sports. She studied and became fluent in German and Korean during military tours in Germany and South Korea. Frances loved to travel and explore out-of-the-way places. She enjoyed taking part in German hikes called Volksmarch. During her 7 years living in Germany, she traveled throughout Germany, France, Italy, Berlin, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Holland, and England.

Frances' initial professional role was to lead the Wang (word processing) team at the US Army Nuclear Agency at Fort Belvoir, VA. Following her husband's retirement from the Army and move to St. Louis, MO, Frances accepted a para-legal position at Deutsche Bank Financial in 1986. During the 20 years in St. Louis, Frances enjoyed many exciting experiences, such as hosting family visits, exploring art museums and the zoo, wholeheartedly supporting the St. Louis Cardinals, and attending thrilling RAM football games, including a memorable Championship Super Bowl. Frances was deeply passionate about gardening and dedicated much of her leisure time to nurturing and tending to her beautiful garden. She beamed with join when the son Duane and his wife moved in while he attended college. It was a fun and busy time, and it got busier when Robin gave birth to granddaughter Leslie. After Frances' father passed away in 1994, her mother, Irene, came to live with us in Frontenac, MO. In 1998, Frances traveled to Niceville to locate a lot on the water where the shrimp boaters hid during a hurricane. She found the dream location at Dana Pointe. In the following year, Frances played a key role in finalizing plans, selecting a builder, and overseeing the construction of our new home. The house was successfully completed in 1999, marking the beginning of our transition to a new living space. Frances envisioned creating a space large enough to welcome her grandchildren, and her wish came true as they visited often.

In 2007, Frances' mother passed away at 92. We honored her life with gatherings of relatives and friends in Niceville, St. Louis, and Snohomish, WA.

In the subsequent years, Frances found joy in tending the gardens, supporting the Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) basketball team, hosting and entertaining her grandchildren, and engaging in leisurely walks and boating trips. These experiences brought her immense happiness and fulfillment.

Frances lived a remarkably healthy life, with only hospital visits for the births of her four children until 2017, when she and her husband noticed signs of dementia. Alongside consulting a neurologist, she ran, exercised, and engaged in crossword and connect-the-dots puzzles. Although medications offered limited relief, in 2000, we hired a caregiver, and Frances started attending the Joyful Place at the Shalimar Methodist Church. With the support of the dedicated caregiver, Sharon Willis, and the uplifting environment at Joyful Place, Frances found joy in every precious moment throughout her remaining years.

Frances was predeceased by her parents Paul F Corskie and Irene M Ethier and her son Paul J. Hoge.  She is survived by her husband Philip R Hoge. Frances is survived by three Children, Laurie E. Carmean (Guy Anders) of Bridgeville, DE , Philip G. Hoge of Niceville, FL , Duane A. Hoge (Robin) of Liberty MO; ten grandchildren, Chris Carmean, Richard Carmean (Angela), Joanna Hoge (Dan Beerman) , Dr. Sean Hoge (Cara Thorne), Chelsea Hoge, Brandy Hoge, Kym Hoge, Katie Hoge, Leslie Hoge, Julie Hoge; and five great grandchildren; Hope, Makenzie, Alexander, Austin, Ricky. She is also survived by 2 aunts; Shirley Buizer, Marge Tyler, and 2 cousins, Claudia Vanderhoff, & Cheryl Fay.

Visitation will be held at the Shalmar Methodist Church in Shalmar, FL., at 12:30 p.m., followed by the funeral service at 1:00 p.m. and the reception at 2:00 p.m. on July 24, 2024. Interment will be at 11:00 a.m. on July 25, 2024, at Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, FL. Attendees to interment will meet at the Olive Baptist Church, 103 Winthrop Ave, Pensacola, FL 32507, at 10:30 a.m. sharp.

Donations: One of Frances's favorite times in the last few years was when she attended our church's Respite Ministry "Joyful Place". You can make a donation to the Joyful Place Shalimar Methodist Church in memory of Frances Irene Hoge by visiting their website at Shalimar-umc.org or by sending a contribution to 1 Old Ferry Road, PO Box 795, Shalimar, FL 32578. Another thoughtful gesture would be to send flowers to the family or plant a tree in Frances Irene Hoge's memory.  

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