A LARGE congregation of mourners gathered at St Mary's Catholic Church in East Orange on Friday October 5 for the funeral service of the late Marjorie (Marj) Patricia Hogan.
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She was aged 88 when she died, and was a much-loved and prominent member of the Orange community. Family and friends attended the service from across NSW and interstate.
Marjorie Patricia Styles was born on St Patrick's Day, 1924 at Garema, between Forbes and Grenfell, to William and Beryl Styles.
Her early years were very happy ones spent on the soldiers' settlement block drawn by her father after his service in World War I.
Bill Styles supplemented the meagre farm income through professional running at what was known as foot running gifts and also through boxing in the famous Sharman boxing tents at surrounding agricultural shows.
Those early days held many happy memories for Marj and she thoroughly enjoyed recounting them to family and friends.
Eventually drought and the Great Depression forced the Styles family off the land to resettl at Dubbo where Marj attended Dubbo High School.
By the time she turned 18, World War II had broken out and Marj joined the Royal Australian Air Force serving at Bradfield Park (Sydney), Adelaide and Melbourne.
During this time she met her husband, well-known Orange citizen Tom Hogan, and they married before Tom was posted overseas on active service. At the same time her father had since rejoined the Army and was serving in New Guinea.
After the war Tom and Marj settled back in Dubbo where Marj quickly immersed herself in community affairs, becoming president or secretary or a committee member of a wide variety of organizations including tennis and bowls clubs, the RSL ladies auxiliary, her sons' schools and a wide variety of charities.
In 1974 Tom was transferred to Orange with the NSW Government Railways and once again Marj embraced a number of community roles with enthusiasm.
Marj was secretary and president of Newstead Ladies Bowls Club and president of Torch Bearers for Legacy for five years where she led many profitable fund raisers for Legacy. Her involvement with the massive job of catering for Orange Field Days was immense until a few years ago.
She was awarded life membership of Torch Bearers for her contribtions.
Marj was an active member of the Orange Catholic parish and also had many friends in the Anglican parish community.
While Mrs Hogan was well known for her community involvement and public works, her main achievements were quietly attained as a good friend and neighbour, as a devoted wife of 69 years and as a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Marj was well known for having an open and welcoming door at her home over her many years of married life, for anyone who needed food, a friendly ear or a bed.
She was a great neighbour who was famous for providing cakes and casseroles for those in need.
Marjorie Hogan is survived by her husband Tom; sons and daughters-in-law, Ken and Dorothy (Canberra) and Michael and Diana (Kingscliff); grand children and spouses, Catherine and Phillip, Caroline and Alex, David and Ngaire, Elizabeth and Rod, Julia and John, Matthew and Sonya, Rebecca and Paul, Kathleen and Luke and 15 great-grandchildren as well as her sisters, Lorna (Sydney), Dorothy (Inverell) and Wilma (Newcastle) and many devoted and loving in-laws, nieces and nephews.
A life well lived, leaving behind a much-loved and loving family and friends, and a richer community because of her contribution.