Kimberly Hughes

Kimberly Gail Hughes CHESAPEAKE - Kimberly Gail Hughes, 29, of the 800 block of Saint Kitts Way, passed away Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008. Born in Norfolk, she was the daughter of Joan Davis Cottrell of Chesapeake and Kip Cottrell and wife Debbie of Virginia Beach. Kim first came to Old Dominion University as a 17-year-old freshman. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in May of 2000 with a major in psychology and minors in human services counseling and sociology. She was accepted into Old Dominion University's masters program in psychology, finishing her Master of Science degree in May of 2003. Most recently, she was completing her Ph.D in special education. She also was working full time for the Effective School wide Discipline grant and the Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement Program and was an adjunct instructor for ODU. In both her academic career and in her work, Kim was an exceptional individual. Her professors remember her as a talented, exacting and ambitious student. She was known by her students and her colleagues as an outstanding teacher and as a vibrant individual; someone who was excited about life. Kim always was willing to go the extra step. She always wanted to learn, she always wanted to understand, and she always was willing to take the time to share her knowledge with others. Kim had many connections with ODU that made her a fixture on campus. Aside from her work at Eastern Virginia Medical School and the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters as a researcher, Kim worked in various capacities at ODU including Teacher Education Services, the psychology department, the Social Science Research Center, the special education program and the Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement Program and Effective School wide Discipline grants. Her talents as a research coordinator, data analyst and adjunct instructor were highly valued. She was a longstanding employee of the Old Dominion University Research Foundation. When she became ill, the outpouring of support from her ODU family was extraordinary. Kim was loved by all. Survivors include her husband, Joel Hughes; a daughter, Vivian Gail Hughes; a son, Evan Joel Hughes; her brother, Jeff Cottrell and wife Erica, also of Chesapeake; and maternal grandmother, Sallie Davis of Norfolk. The funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Great Bridge Chapel of Oman Funeral Home & Crematory, 653 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, VA 23322. The Rev. Tom Mercer will officiate. Interment will follow in Chesapeake Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Flowers are welcomed and memorial contributions for the Scholarship Account for the benefit of Evan and Vivian Hughes may be made by contacting any TowneBank. Friends are also invited to send condolences and sign the online guestbook at www.omanfh.com.