Lucy Fogg
- Published: August 13, 2009
Lucy Marquerite Van Ness Fogg spent most of her adult life in Yellow Springs until eight years ago, when she moved to Carriage Court Assisted Living in Cincinnati. She died there on Saturday morning, Aug. 8. She was 92.
Lucy was a Bath (Brookville), Ind. native, born on Oct. 28, 1916, to Gideon Ellsworth and Ada Bryon (Foley) Van Ness. She graduated from McGuffy High School in 1934 and earned her bachelors degree in 1938 from Miami University. Soon after graduating from Miami, the “adventuresome young lady” came to Yellow Springs to teach home economics and English at Bryan High School. Lucy earned her masters about 30 years later from the Ohio State University.
She and Kingsley Fogg, a musician, farmer and retired Wright Field experimental aircraft engine test operator, were married in June, 1940. The couple enjoyed ballroom dancing and was very successful in competitions. They were active members of the First Presbyterian Church of Yellow Springs. Until moving to Cincinnati Lucy had lived in the same farmhouse since her wedding day.
In addition to teaching, Lucy was also a Greene County Extension agent and the program director for the Greater Metropolitan Dayton Senior Citizens’ Center. In the late 1940s and years hence, Lucy Fogg was a “rarity among women,” pursuing successful careers outside her home. In her day, having a career and children was unusual and she always said she could not have done it without the support and love of her husband Kingsley and sons, Larry and Harold.
Lucy was affiliated with a number of professional organizations, flower/gardening interest groups, and was a founding member of the Friendly Gardeners Garden Club of Yellow Springs in 1945. It was a colorful experience for everyone who visited the Fogg home. Lucy loved flowers and it showed in the profusion of flowers and abundance of collectibles and memorabilia, each with a story of its own. She was also a life member in the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs. Lucy is remembered for her boundless energy, her kindness and progressive ideas.
Lucy was preceded in death by her parents; and her husband, Kingsley Fogg who passed away in 1990, 11 days short of their 50th wedding anniversary.
She is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Larry and Jan Fogg of Los Angeles, Calif., and Harold and Gayle Fogg of Cincinnati; four grandchildren Andrew (Eva) and Amy Fogg, Los Angeles, and Robert and Michael Fogg, Cincinnati; two great grandchildren, Sofia and Asher Fogg, Los Angeles; eight nieces and nephews, including Kingsley (Roberta) Semler, Yellow Springs; two sisters, Mabel (Howard) Roth, Brookville, Ind., and Ada Marie VanNess, Indianapolis, Ind.; and her best friend, Mildred Keck, Yellow Springs.
The funeral will be held Friday, Aug. 14, 2 p.m. at the Jackson Lytle & Ingling Williams Funeral Home, 322 Xenia Avenue, Yellow Springs, preceded by calling hours starting at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Glen Forest Cemetery. A gathering for family and friends will be held following the service.
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