Our longtime member and Friend, Marian Bradley Hoge, died peacefully on February 11, 2019 at the age of 94. She is survived by her children, son Patrick Hoge and his wife Brenda; daughter Marta Franklin and her husband Kirby; and daughter Terry Teale. She is also survived by six grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her children Linn, 7, and Michael, 5, both of whom died of polio in 1952; by her husband of 68 years, Alfred Hoge in 2012; and by all of her siblings.
Marian was born December 5, 1924 in Belchertown, Massachusetts, the second child of Albert E. and Mary Hussey. She graduated from Olney Friends School, Barnesville, Ohio, before completing two years at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. While on break from school in Washington, D.C. she met Alfred Hoge of the Florida Avenue Friends Meeting. They married on October 21, 1944 and in 1948 moved from Bethesda, MD to Albuquerque, where Al began his career at Sandia National Laboratories.
Marian had come to find a home with the Friends as a young child, through her mother’s political action around equal education for all. It was a natural fit for Marian, along with Al, to become an early attender and founding member of Albuquerque Friends Meeting. Marian has been an integral part of the life of the Meeting for over 70 years. She served in multiple capacities, including as clerk of Meeting, worship and ministry, education, and first day school. Marian was instrumental in establishing a Friends School at the Meeting House in the 1990s. Marian was integral to the founding of Intermountain yearly Meeting in the 1970s, bringing together the Monthly Meetings from our 4-state region. In addition, she served on the Friends World Committee for Consultation Triennial Committee for many years.
Marian’s contributions to AMM went well beyond these official roles. Marian was a steady and strong presence in Meeting over the years. She was quiet and thoughtful, but also always ready with a laugh or practical perspective on issues that arose. She was an action-oriented person, and was willing to say exactly what she thought. She had a warm and caring heart, supporting the thoughtful paths that people chose to follow, even if they were outside the mainstream. Marian felt that children in the Meeting were of greatest importance, and the children returned the favor by considering Marian a surrogate grandmother, who always dressed impeccably, wore bright colors (especially purple), and cooked regular (not “Quaker”) food. Given her husband Al’s proclivity for sweets, desserts were among her most anticipated contributions to potluck.
Marian stated in a short memoir, “This diverse and loving community became the core of our life. A Quaker community is held together by the belief that God is in every person, a commitment to treating every person with respect, and taking care of the less fortunate. These have become my life-long values, and I discovered them through my mother’s search for a community in tune with her interest in promoting education with the Black community.”
Marian was raised in a family committed to education. When her children were of school age, Marian pursued her career, initially as an elementary school teacher, and then as a middle school counselor after obtaining a masters degree in counseling. From 1977 on, she counseled middle school students, a role she treasured and enjoyed. As a life-long learner and reader, Marian engaged readily in community. Indeed, Marian provided the focus of community for many of us, including her Meeting activities, her monthly knitting group, and gatherings with friends and family over lunch or dinner. She was a good listener, and thoughtfully advised others in her very practical and common sense way. Marian also fully embraced life. She was very independent, loved to travel, and often enticed Al to accompany her on numerous overseas trips.
Marian’s family was very important to her, and she was proud of all of them. After her family’s reunion for her 90th birthday in Colorado, her children and grandchildren made a huge photographic poster of family photo memories that she lovingly displayed on her wall at her last residence at La Vida Llena. Marian’s love of family was another of her core values. She deeply appreciated their love, support and presence in the last years of her and Al’s lives.
Marian will be remembered for her wonderful self. When asked, friends describe Marian as generous, engaged, resilient, gracious, pragmatic, and loving. Her presence in our lives as Friend and friend is a gift to all of us. May the seeds she planted in each of us continue to grow.