Anita B. Hogan

Anita B. Hogan passed away peacefully on November 21, 2024, in her home of 85 years in Bridgewater, NJ.
She is survived by her daughter Moira Hogan Murphy, son-in-law Dennis Murphy and grandsons Ryan and Colin Murphy.
Born in New York City on October 6, 1931, Anita was the only child of Frank and Gertrude Buck, who emigrated to the United States from Germany. The family moved to New Jersey in 1935 to manage the Raritan Valley lnn, a restaurant on the Somerville Circle popular with both families and celebrities, and young Anita pitched in by greeting guests and typing menus. After graduating from Somerville High School, Anita went off to Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart in New York City to study music (a life-long passion), but her father's death during her freshman year brought her back home to support her mother, not least by teaching her to drive.
Anita met her future husband, Edward M. Hogan, in 1951 on a blind date arranged by mutual friends in Somerville. Their love blossomed while commuting by train to New York City as she continued at Manhattanville and he completed law school at Fordham. After they married in June 1952 and Ed started his own law practice in Somerville in 1953, Ed asked Anita to be his secretary for "six months" until he could afford to hire someone. Six months turned into 52 years and she remained an integral part of his practice, leveraging her penchant for order and keen attention to detail while serving as his administrative assistant and paralegal until 2005, when Ed suffered a stroke in the office with Anita at his side.
Anita was also Ed's behind-the-scenes partner in many church, civic, and philanthropic endeavors through the years. They were long-time active members of Immaculate Conception Parish in Somerville. In 2006, the couple received a Leadership in Catholic Education Award from the Diocese of Metuchen, recognizing their role in creating and generously supporting a foundation funding scholarships for students at Immaculate Conception School (preK-8) and Immaculata High School. Their induction into the Immaculata High School Hall of Fame in 2016 similarly cited these efforts, as well as their own financial commitment to Immaculate Conception Parish and its two schools. Anita also enthusiastically joined Ed in supporting the Somerset Medical Center, now Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, where he was Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and helped launch the Hospital's Foundation. Continuing their charitable tradition after Ed's death, Anita served for six years as a Trustee of Immaculate Conception Parish and made lead gifts toward construction of the Neuroscience Pavilion at the Hospital, which bears both their names, and most recently the Hospital's newly-completed Vertical Expansion Project.
Anita loved to travel and relished many family trips abroad, particularly regular visits to extended family in Germany. In her later years, she participated in pilgrimages to the Holy Land and other sacred sites, as well as cruises with her daughter's family while bunking with her adored (and adoring) grandsons. She also enjoyed seasonal Florida get-aways, but delighted especially in maintaining her Bridgewater home and gardens, tending them herself well into her eighties, and being part of the local community. Anita was a member of the Raritan Valley Country Club for 72 years.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 7:00pm on Monday, November 25, 2024, at Cusick Funeral Home, 80 Mountain Avenue, Somerville.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30AM on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, at The Church of The Immaculate Conception, 35 Mountain Avenue, Somerville. Family and friends are welcome to gather at the funeral home beginning at 9:30AM. Click Here to join live stream of the Funeral Mass.
Entombment will follow at St. Bernard Cemetery Mausoleum, Bridgewater.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her memory to:
The Immaculate Conception School, 35 Mountain Avenue, Somerville Click Here to donate online.
Immaculata High School Guardian Angel Fund, 240 Mountain Avenue, Somerville Click Here to donate online.
Somerset Health Care Foundation, 110 Rehill Avenue, Somerville Click Here to donate online.