Jean Marie Hoegger's Obituary
Jean Marie Hoegger passed into spirit on August 7, 2018, in North Andover, shortly after her 85th birthday. Her passing concluded a courageous struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease, during which she often said she remembered in her heart the people and places her mind could no longer recall.
For many years, Jean was a highly regarded psychiatric social worker in private practice in Andover and North Andover. She grew up in a small village in Delaware County, New York, the only child of Alwyn and Louise Hoegger. She graduated from Cornell University and went on to earn Masters degrees at Harvard University in Education and at Simmons College in Social Work. Her work in the Merrimack Valley followed a successful career in the mental health field in Boston and Cambridge.
All who knew Jean were touched by her wisdom, her kindness and generosity, and her gentle humor. Her loves included her friends, her books, music and her treasured Russian Blue cats.
Jean was dearly loved and is sadly missed by her many friends and by her cousins Joan and Tony Barber; her longtime friend and colleague Mary Finneran; and the three members of her North Andover “family”, Virginia, Sharon, and Diane Montella.
Much gratitude goes to the many devoted caregivers and professionals who eased Jean’s path and brought her comfort, compassion, and moments of joy during her journey with Alzheimer’s.
A memorial service for Jean will be held on Sunday, September 23, 2018, at 2pm in the downstairs chapel at the North Parish Church, 90 Academy Road in the historic Old Center of North Andover, MA. Refreshments will follow in the church hall immediately after the service.
Any gift in Jean’s name would be welcome at the Stevens Memorial Library, 345 Main Street, North Andover, MA 01845 – a sanctuary where Jean enjoyed many hours of pleasant reading.
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