Lilly Loise Culp Hogan

Lilly Loise Culp Hogan, age 103, the oldest veteran at the Armed Forces Retirement Home (ARFH) in Gulfport, MS, died on November 19, 2023, after living a long, happy, and productive life.

Born February 5, 1920, to Lilly Maude and James Monroe Culp in rural Ebenezer in Obion County, TN, she was the 10th of eleven children. She grew up in that community, excelling in her studies and living through the Great Depression on the family farm.

After high school, Loise worked in Union City, TN, and met her future husband, Reed Blanchard Hogan. Both enlisted in the Navy during World War II. Reed served in the South Pacific as a Marine Raider. Loise became a Wave and was assigned to Naval Intelligence as a Cryptologist, where she helped break Japanese codes. They married in 1944. When the war ended, they both attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville where she graduated with a degree in Business Education.

After marrying the love of her life, the couple lived in Union City TN, and then in Clarksdale, MS, where they had four children. After Reed’s sudden death in 1964, Loise raised her children as a single mom. She instilled in her children the importance of faith and education. Today, two are medical doctors, one has a Ph.D., and one is a lawyer.

Loise later lived in Jackson, MS, to be near her children and grandchildren before entering the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Gulfport in 1993. She genuinely enjoyed the AFRH, finding a wonderful community of veterans, dedicated staff, and many friends. Loise entertained AFRH residents and staff by saying the alphabet backwards and often sang, painted, and dominated bingo and shuffleboard. She enjoyed her longtime friend and companion Andy Pelkofer, who was also her dance partner.

The family thanks the staff on Loyalty Hall and throughout the AFRH for the sensitive and caring love they showed their mother. She will be greatly missed by all.

Loise was predeceased by her parents, all siblings, and her beloved husband Reed.

She is survived by her children, Mary Beth Hogan of Fayetteville, NC; Reed Blanchard Hogan II of Jackson, MS; Jeannie Hogan Sansing of Oxford, MS; and Kimberly Hogan Pesaniello of Snow Hill, MD. She also adored her seven grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

As the family mourns, we also celebrate and honor the life of our wonderful mother.

A memorial service will be held at the AFRH, 1800 Beach Drive, Gulfport, MS at 11:00 am on Friday, November 24, 2023. A graveside service will be held in Union City, TN, at 1:00 pm on Saturday, November 25, 2023, at East View Cemetery. Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15^th Street, Gulfport is honored to serve the Hogan family.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the at the University of Tennessee scholarship fund created in Loise’s honor: https://giving.utk.edu/hogan.

Please contact Taylor Thomas with UT at 865-974-8512 or taylor@utk.edu if you have questions.