By Sallie James
OCEAN RIDGE — Former Ocean Ridge Commissioner Nancy Hogan, an outspoken public servant and devoted Republican who helped on every presidential campaign from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump, died on Aug. 31 at Delray Medical Center of a lengthy illness. She was 75.Nancy Lynn Turnbull Hogan and her husband, Stephen, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary less than a year ago. The two met on a double date, each paired with another, but connected forever when Nancy invited Stephen to a wedding a week later. The two married on Nov. 5, 1971.
The story is no surprise to those who knew her.
“I don’t think she had a shy bone in her body,” conceded Ocean Ridge Commissioner Geoff Pugh, who served with Mrs. Hogan on the commission. “It was refreshing. Too many people don’t say what they are thinking and she would actually say what she thought. Sometimes you agreed and sometimes you disagreed.”
“Oh yes, she was pretty good at letting you know her opinion,” Stephen Hogan chuckled. “She lost (the election) a second time maybe because she was a little too outspoken for some people. She loved serving Ocean Ridge. She loved government.”
The Hogans moved to Ocean Ridge in 1991. A town commissioner from 2005-2008, Mrs. Hogan was detail oriented, informed and always concerned.
“She was definitely an asset to the community and she always tried her best. She was very forthright and very detailed,” Pugh said.
Mrs. Hogan attended Scotia-Glenville High School in Scotia, New York, then earned a bachelor of science degree from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, and a master’s of public administration from the State University of New York at Albany.
Mrs. Hogan started her career as an auditor in New York state, and worked for the state comptroller though the New York City bankruptcy of 1975. She served on the Schenectady Municipal Housing Authority and ran for the county Board of Commissioners there.
She eventually became a real estate agent and broker and was licensed in New York, Georgia, Connecticut and Florida, the same states she was also licensed as a CPA.
But aside from her family, politics was her true love. Mrs. Hogan served on the Republican Executive Committees in several states. Along with her involvement with multiple presidential campaigns, she worked on Florida gubernatorial campaigns from Jeb Bush to Ron DeSantis.
She was an original member of the National Organization for Women and a longtime member of the League of Women Voters. She was also a Daughter of the American Revolution and a minister in the Alliance of Divine Love.
She was a devoted community advocate and belonged to a wide range of organizations, including the Ocean Ridge Garden Club, the Ocean Ridge Book Club, the Palm Beach Civic Society, the Forum Club, the Boynton Beach Woman’s Club, the Palm Beach and Boca Raton Republican Women’s Clubs, the Boynton Beach Realtors, the Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce and served on the boards of the Florida Association of Realtors, the National Association of Realtors and the Republican Executive Committee, where she was closely involved in the distribution of Political Action Committee funds and scholarship awards.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Hogan is survived by two sons, Ashley of McKinney, Texas, and Trevor of San Diego; a brother, Darny Turnbull of Fort Myers; two sisters, June Shaw of Saratoga Springs, New York, and Mary Jo Cottrell of Pleasant Valley, New York, and Orlando; and a granddaughter, Brynn McKenna of McKinney.
A celebration of life is planned for 11 a.m. Oct. 15 at Ocean Ridge Town Hall, 6450 N. Ocean Blvd. A second event will be held Nov. 5 at a site to be determined in Scotia, New York.
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