Natalia Caroline Fox Hogan
12/04/68 - 5/31/09
We miss you!!!
Natalia Caroline Fox Hogan
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Sunday, May 31, 2009, Natalia Caroline Fox Hogan, a shining star in so many lives, flickered out.
Born Dec. 4, 1968, in Germany, she was the only child of the late Monica and Richard Fox.
Natalia was a graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall, Skidmore College (’91) and the Union College master’s program.
She began her teaching career at Saratoga Springs High School in 1999, teaching junior and senior high school English. Natalia served as advisor to the Class of 2010, and from 1993 to 2004, along with her husband, owned and operated the Newberry Dance Club.
Natalia was very active in sports throughout the community. She spent numerous hours playing hockey with and instructing children at the Saratoga Spring Ice Skating Rink. Whether teaching English or hockey, her main goal was to make a difference in a student’s life. Natalia was an avid runner, biker, skier and hockey player and eagerly awaited her next event, always giving 110 percent.
Survivors include her husband, James L. Hogan, and their son, Ryan; her stepdaughter, Lauren (Justin) Szurek and her son, Oliver; her stepson, Matthew Hogan; her stepmother, Mary Jane Fox; her stepsister, Adrienne Bechold and her daughter, Tanya; her uncle, Donald (Gloria) Fox (John and Stephanie); her sisters-in-law, Patricia Casler and Cheryl Janasiewicz (Frank); her brothers-in-law, Timothy (Judy), Stephen (Sheryl) and Frank Hogan; several nieces, nephews and many good friends, too numerous to mention.
Natalia’s untimely death has saddened so many people. Her spirit will live on through her No. 1 accomplishment and the pride and joy of her life, her son, Ryan.
Relatives and friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 5, 2009, at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Homes, 628 N. Broadway, 584-5373.
A funeral will be conducted at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 6, 2009, at St. Clement’s Church, 231 Lake Ave.
Memorials may be made to the Natalia F. Hogan Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Adirondack Trust Co., 473 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.
"She had a really, really great, fun spirit," recalled Tracey Miller.
"If you didn't know her, you missed out," added Saratoga Cycling Club founder Terry Briscoe.
The 40-year-old English teacher died Sunday when she collapsed during a city bike race. The loss has left a hole in the tight knit community, one that can't be repaired.
"She seemed like a really great person. Like I said, I only met her once but she had a great spirit and I was really looking forward to riding with her this year," said Miller.
Cyclists who didn't even know her showed up for a 22 mile ride. It wrapped around the Spa City and out toward Greenfield. Along the way, they stopped for a moment of silence outside the school where she taught.
"Hopefully we're going turn this into an annual event where we raise money to contribute to the memorial fund that's been established in her name," said Briscoe.
It's a name that's touched so many lives and one that has inspired perfect strangers to peddle towards a dream.
"It'll make me appreciate every moment I'm on my bike and every moment that I'm living more. It'll make me appreciate being around such a great big biking family like this," said Miller.
Calling hours begin at 4 p.m. on Friday. They'll be held here in Saratoga Springs at Burke and Son's Funeral Home.
Saratoga Springs teacher to be missed
SARATOGA SPRINGS — As a vigorous athlete, a popular teacher and a dedicated coach, Natalia Fox Hogan’s presence in the community to which she gave so much will be greatly missed, her friends and colleagues say.
Hogan, 40, died Sunday at Saratoga Hospital after she collapsed near the corner of Grand Avenue and Walnut Street during the final stretch of a charity bike race. She was treated on the scene just before 3 p.m. by Saratoga Emergency Medical Services and fire personnel and then was transported to Saratoga Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Witnesses at the race said Hogan appeared to suffer seizure-like symptoms that caused her to fall off her bike. The exact cause of her death has been attributed to an undisclosed medical condition, the Saratoga Springs Police Department said in a statement Monday.
Hogan was a 1991 graduate of Skidmore College and opened Newberry Dance Club on Broadway in 1993.
She began her teaching career in 1999, teaching junior and senior high school English at Saratoga Springs High School. She served as an adviser to the class of 2010.
Principal Frank Crowley said Hogan was adored by class advisers and was well-liked and respected by fellow teachers.
“She was a caring person who was interested in each one of her students as individuals. She cared about them as young people first, and English students second,” Crowley said.
He said Hogan’s classes were taught by a substitute Monday, and classes throughout the high school were continuing on as normal a schedule as possible. Guidance counselors and school psychologists were available to assist staff and students, Crowley said.
“This is a first for us,” he said of having a faculty member pass away so suddenly.
“Students were lucky to have her.”
Hogan, a resident of Beekman Street, was known for constantly giving her time and energy to the local community. She had volunteered to help at the Marshall & Sterling Racing City Grand Prix bike race Sunday morning before competing in the afternoon, said Madeleine Bonneville, a longtime friend of Hogan’s.
“She was the first to step up if you asked her to do something,” Bonneville said.
The race was held to benefit a local organization, Team Billy, which raises money for brain tumor research.
“It was such a nice day and she was having a good time during (the race),” she said. “We were supposed to play hockey after the race, we had that much energy.”
Hogan was involved with the Saratoga Youth Hockey league for the last five to six years, said Gary Pelletier, president of the board of directors for the league.
As well as coaching her son’s ice hockey team and serving as a member of the board of directors for three years, Hogan was instrumental in organizing introduction to skating programs in local schools, Pelletier said.
“That’s the lifeblood of our organization and she was really energetic in getting that going,” Pelletier said. “She was just really a go-getter.”
He said Hogan was always active, whether she was running, cycling, snowshoeing or coaching hockey.
“She will be tremendously missed in our organization as well as by many other community organizations,” he said.
Saratoga high mourns teacher's death
By Paul Nelson , Staff writer The Times UnionSARATOGA SPRINGS -- Natalia Fox Hogan lived "life to the fullest" and was especially passionate about teaching and being a mother, her husband said Monday, a day after she died while riding in a charity bike race.
Her 11-year-old son Ryan was the "love of her life" and she was devoted to her students at Saratoga Springs High School where she taught English, James Hogan recalled.
She also made time to run, ski, and bike and was involved in Ryan's youth hockey league. The energetic 40-year-old woman collapsed Sunday afternoon after suffering a seizure during the race, her husband said.
Lt. Greg Veitch of the Saratoga Springs Police Department said medical crews tried to revive Hogan after she collapsed around 3 p.m. at Grand Avenue and Walnut Street while competing in the Marshall and Sterling Racing City Grand Prix. She died at Saratoga Hospital. Her death has cast a pall over the school district where she earned a reputation as a caring teacher who made learning fun during her decade-long career, high school Principal Frank Crowley said.
"She made it very evident that she cared about students as people and as students, was highly competent, always organized and prepared for classes, and had a pleasant personality," Crowley said. "It's very quiet and somber in our high school."
Crowley said he and other staffers Sunday night called to notify parents of students in Hogan's classes "to alleviate some of the shock." Guidance counselors, school psychologists and a student advocate were on hand Monday to help grieving students and teachers.
Her friend, Jody Terry, who worked with Hogan at the high school said she developed a bond with students.
Born in Germany, Hogan graduated from Skidmore College in 1991 and earned a master's degree from Union College.
Hogan began her teaching career with Saratoga in 1999 at the junior and senior high school. Three years later, she joined the high school English department where she mostly taught ninth-graders. Hogan was a co-adviser for the class of 2010.
