Connie Lea Hudson Hoagland

Connie Lea Hoagland passed into the presence of her Lord in the morning of September 16, 2016, having fiercely fought an almost seven-year battle with ovarian cancer. She was a strong lady, but her earthly tent could no longer withstand the ravages of the tumors produced by such a dreaded disease. Her oncologist and family physician often remarked about her will to survive and tenacity for such a long period of time.

Connie was born on January 5, 1944, in Warrensburg, Missouri, the daughter of Willard and Verna Isaac Hudson. Her father was stationed at an air force base there at the time, and later the family moved to Bastrop, Texas, where he was stationed at Bergstrom Air Force Base. They lived in Bastrop for a while and then moved again, eventually settling in Norwalk, California. Connie attended Norwalk High School, graduating from there in 1961. During her high school years, she was quite athletic and participated in various sports activities. After graduating she enrolled at Cerritos Community College, where she earned a vocational certificate for psychiatric technician. In 1962 she was employed as a psychiatric technician at Norwalk Metropolitan State Hospital.

On June 23, 1963, Connie was married to Douglas Craig Hoagland in Downey, California. The couple had met in church about four years earlier and were sweethearts during those years. Connie continued to work as a psychiatric technician until the birth of their first child, Cathy, in 1966. After that she assumed her new role as a housewife and mother to her daughter and two sons, who were born in 1968 and 1974. In 1972 the family moved to Fountain Valley, California, where her husband became a counselor and teacher at Fountain Valley High School.

Ever since her teens Connie had shown that she had a special love and unique gift for working with babies and young children. Whenever and wherever she encountered babies, toddlers or preschoolers, she tended to gravitate in their direction to interact with them in some way. She always seemed to know just what to say or do to make them smile or laugh. In 1982 she became the director of a preschool program that was run by the recreation department in Costa Mesa, California. This preschool became very popular with parents because of Connie’s giftedness with children. She continued doing this work until June 2000, at which time she retired from the city of Costa Mesa to begin working as a nursery director at her church in Huntington Beach, California. Connie always loved the churches where she was a member, but she only rarely attended services because she had a servant’s heart for church nursery ministry. She retired from this work in 2007 in order to move with her husband to Bastrop, Texas, to be near her daughter and six grandchildren.

Right up to the end of her life Connie always seemed to have a buoyant spirit and salient sense of humor. She often came up with witty responses to others’ comments and only rarely refrained from saying what was on her mind. She would form a quick opinion about nearly everything, and it was not unusual for her to express that opinion openly and sometimes humorously. One of her greatest passions was watching almost any sports event on television or in person. Connie especially liked football and all of her children’s or grandchildren’s games. She rarely missed any of their games, and she was often the most vocal spectator.

Connie’s most distinct and enduring quality was her compassionate concern for others and for almost all animals as well. She genuinely cared when she saw anyone hurting or in trouble. She loved wild animals in particular, subscribing to wildlife magazines and watching many TV programs about wildlife. She always made sure the birds in our backyard were fed. Her greatest love was for her family, especially her children and grandchildren. She will be greatly missed by all of her family as well as many others whose lives she touched.

Connie is survived by her husband of 53 years, Doug Hoagland, her father, Willard Hudson, her sister, Cheryl Dykstra, her brother, George Hudson, her daughter, Cathy Sizemore, her sons, Steven and Brian Hoagland, eight grandchildren, five nieces, and one nephew.