Hugh Hart

Hugh Hart
May 3, 1925 - Sep 25, 2018
Hugh Hart was the second of five boys born to Bessie and Charles Hart in Philadelphia on May 3, 1925. Hugh attended Villanova University and graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1945. A stint at University of Delaware for a masters' in Chemical Engineering, was followed by several years working in the oil industry.
Hugh was greatly inspired by the works of Thomas Merton and entered the Trappist Monastery in
Gethsemane, Kentucky in 1952. Later, as a Jesuit seminarian, he taught at Loyola High School in Los Angeles, studied at the University of San Francisco and Gonzaga University and earned his MBA from the Wharton School.
After leaving the Jesuit seminary, Hugh worked as a financial analyst at Union Carbide in New York City.
While there he met and married Joan Donohue in 1969. Within a year, they moved to Modesto where Hugh joined E. and J. Gallo Winery. Retiring as a vice president from Gallo after 15 years, he worked as a financial planner for American Express for another 15.
Hugh had a huge treasure chest of stories that he told repeatedly — often to the same group. He kept a list of 100 jokes in his pocket and always seemed to have one appropriate to any and alt occasions. Hugh loved to brag that he had degrees from six different universities but never paid tuition — all made possible by scholarships. He loved to travel — cruises on the rivers of Europe among his favorite — and enjoyed Elderhostels throughout the U.S. He had visited every U.S. state save one — Arkansas. He was an avid fan of all the Philadelphia teams and was particularly elated by Villanova's recent basketball successes and the Eagles Super Bowl win last year.
Hugh was active in St. Joseph's Parish, serving on the parish council for several years. He was a member of the Board of Catholic Charities, a long-time member of the Modesto Serra Club and served on the School Board and later Foundation Board at Central Catholic High School. He received the Bishop's Award for a Life of Youth Service in 2008.
Hugh is predeceased by his parents, Charles and Elizabeth Hart, his brothers, Charles, Frank, Donald and Jack Hart. He is survived by his wife of almost 49 years, Joan, his daughter, Kathryn O'Brien (Patrick) and son, Brendan, as well as by his granddaughters Caroline and Amelia. His sisters-in-law, Ellen, Ardis and Ann Hart, Sharon Cahill (Bill), Margaret Sanchez-Ely (John) and brother-in-law Kevin Donohue (Dottie) also survive him along with 23 nieces and nephews, many grandnieces and nephews and countless friends.
Our special thanks go to the caregivers at Golden Age who have cared for Hugh for the last three years and to Drs. Robert Forester and R.J. Heck from St. Luke's Family Practice who are always there when you need them! In lieu of flowers, donations in Hugh's name may be made to Central Catholic High School Foundation, Hugh Hart Scholarship, 200 South Carpenter Road, Modesto, CA 95351.
A vigil will be held at Franklin and Downs, McHenry Avenue, on Monday, October 1, at 6 p.m.
(Visitation from 4 p.m.) and a Funeral Mass at St. Joseph's Church on Tuesday, October 2, at 9:30 a.m. with a reception to follow in Father Joseph O'Hare Hall.
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