Elizabeth Jane Augusta Mary Werner "Betty" Hogan

1932 - 2025

Elizabeth 'Betty' Jane Augusta Mary Werner Hogan
April 2, 1932 – December 24, 2025

Widely known as the kindest woman on earth, Elizabeth 'Betty' Jane Augusta Mary Werner Hogan passed away peacefully at Glens Falls Hospital, surrounded by her loving children, on Christmas Eve-a day her family was together to comfort one another as they said farewell to their most gentle mother.

Betty was born in Marshall, Minnesota, the second of five children to George Werner and Louise (Van Hee) Werner. She spent her early years in Minnesota, attending a four-room elementary school in Lucan and later graduating from Redwood Falls High School. Those formative years shaped a woman who was both resourceful and resilient. After losing her mother at the age of nine, her widowed father struggled to raise and provide for five children on his own. The family was separated, and at age eleven Betty and her sister, Katy, assumed homemaking roles. In tenth grade, when Katy went off to college and Betty found herself conscripted to serve as a nanny, she proactively negotiated work and lodging with family friend Bessie McConnell, whose kindness and steady presence left a lasting imprint on her life.

Despite her numerous challenges and humble beginnings, Betty's positive outlook, fortitude, and unwavering faith never diminished. At Redwood Falls High School, Betty was elected Homecoming Queen-an early reflection of the grace, warmth, and quiet confidence she carried throughout her life. During those years, she also worked as a writer for the Redwood Falls newspaper, earning four cents per inch.

She went on to attend St. Mary's School of Nursing, where she graduated and began her lifelong calling of caring for others. While working as a nurse in Milwaukee, she met-and fell in love with-a blue-eyed boy freshly out of medical school, Richard T. 'Doc' Hogan. They married on June 5, 1957, in Vesta, Minnesota and eventually returned to his hometown of Hudson Falls, NY, where they planted deep roots and began building the large, loving family of which Betty had always dreamed.

Their 47-year partnership was rooted in faith and revolved around family with Betty at its heart. Together, they raised eleven children with love, humor, and patience, and created a home that was always welcoming to family, friends, patients, and neighbors alike. After Doc passed in 2005, Betty embraced what her family affectionately called 'Betty 2.0,' her years of adventure and travels to see the world. Yet even with travel, it seemed she was always home with open arms and a warm smile for pop-in visitors.

Betty was a greeter and longtime member of St. Mary's/St. Paul's Church in Hudson Falls. She dedicated many years of volunteer service to the Glens Falls Hospital Guild, St. Mary's Academy, and the Fort Hudson Nursing Home. She knitted hats and booties for the Snuggery, filled a booth annually with handmade wood crafts for the St. Mary's Academy holiday bazaar, and made cookies and favors for the Fort Hudson Christmas Teas. Not long after her youngest child started preschool, Betty was enlisted to help run Hogan's Dairy Bar alongside her sisters-in-law and dear friends, Ruth, Darlene, and Cathy. She also shared joyful times with her Red Hat friends, Darlene, Ruth, Theresa, Marlene, Sookie, Janet, and Betty D.

Betty's interests were wide and hobbies multitudinous, always up for the challenge of learning something new, be it how to use the jigsaw in the woodworking barn or the chocolate melt for dipping pretzels or marshmallows. Betty's taste and creativity rivaled that of Martha Stewart, and she was a DIY'er before Pinterest. Never afraid to get her hands dirty, she tended gardens and made beautiful wreaths and arrangements from weeds that she called wildflowers.

Always a smile ear to ear, sometimes a Manhattan in hand, and not one to miss a party, Betty embraced others without judgment, accepting all with her pure and joyful heart. She devoted herself to her family, with frequent large gatherings. All who were lucky enough to be in her presence felt truly blessed. She never missed the importance of things big and small, from the bittersweet on the roadside to each and every wedding and milestone of her cherished family.

With eleven children and a husband always on call, early on Betty was faced with the project of securing regular family time, motivating her to establish the tradition of weekly Sunday night dinner gatherings. As the family has grown, so have the dinners, now totaling an immediate family of nearly 90 who are invited to gather each week, with friends always welcome. It was Betty's unselfish efforts, calm leadership and giant heart that made Sunday dinner a family institution. It is so beloved, that one grandson asked hopefully, "Sunday night dinner's provided for in Gram's will isn't it?" Of course it is, but we will dearly miss our weekly goodbye hug and "I love you" from Gram/Mom/Betty/AB/Lizzie/Lades/GG, or whatever else our lovely lady was to you.
Betty was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Dr. Richard T. "Doc" Hogan; and many sisters and brothers. She is survived by her children and their families: Patrick Hogan (Karen) of Hudson Falls, and children Rhianna (Marc) & children Vivienne & Lily of Glens Falls, and Mike (Katelyn) & children Hailey, Carly, & Ashley of Queensbury; Rich Hogan (Mary) and children Jessica and Danielle of Hudson Falls; Cathy Barton (Dr. Kelly Barton) of Hudson Falls and children Rachael (Steve) & children Bailey & Bradyn of Mahwah, NJ, Samantha (Matt) & children Maddie & David of Argyle, John (Jessie) of Midland, MI, Heather (Adam) of Durham, NC, Meghan (Joe) of Altamont, Cate (Ryan) of Elmira, and Max of Buffalo; John Hogan (Lisa) and children Noah, Myles, and Tessa of Gansevoort; Dr. Robert Hogan (Elizabeth) of Glens Falls and children Jacqueline (Matt) of Elmira, Nolan, Neil, and Josephine of Glens Falls; Dr. Amy Hogan (David Moulton) and children Christine (Matt) & children Chloe, Piper, & Brooks of Saratoga, and Stephen of Hudson Falls; Dan Hogan (Robyn Cronin) and children MacKenzie, Moira, and Aidan (Kathryn) & daughter Macie of Hudson Falls; Dr. Jennifer Hogan (Scott Murphy) and children Simone, Lux, and Duke of New York City; Bill Hogan (Cheryl) of Hudson Falls and children Tom (Katherine) and Ben of Saratoga, Dan (Noelle) of Syracuse, and Eliza of Buffalo; Joseph Hogan (Angie) of Hudson Falls and children Dalton (Alexandra) of Cohoes, Jack, and Alexandra of Hudson Falls; and Dr. Annie Hogan of Stamford, CT.

She is also survived by her siblings Catherine Crank of Salem and Richard Werner (Barb) of Marshall, MN, and siblings-in-law Roger Hogan of Hudson Falls and Joan Hogan of Auburn, as well as many nieces and nephews, including Sarah Hogan-Gauci (Dave, Drew & Clare) and Kerry Hogan, who in recent years brought her a home-cooked meal and a heap of humor every Monday night, Jimmy for mowing the lawn, Andy for bringing the paper, and all the other nieces and nephews who worked to take care of Betty each day.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to the medical staff at Glens Falls Hospital, as well as her caregivers, Colette, Monica, Katie, Felicia, Jayne, Janelle, Thea, and Carol, for their compassion, kindness, and loving support, which allowed Betty to live her final years with strength and dignity. Special recognition is given to Colette and Monica for years of heartfelt care and compassion, and to Carol for her dedicated personal training and attentive care.

Calling hours will be held from 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2026, at Carleton Funeral Home in Hudson Falls.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at St. Mary's/St. Paul's Church in Hudson Falls, with a reception following, details yet to be determined.

The Rite of Committal will take place in the spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Betty's name to the Glens Falls Hospital Emergency Department Expansion or the Richard T. Hogan MD Memorial Scholarship at SUNY Adirondack.