Hugh Aloysius McCloskey, devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully at his home on April 20, 2024, at the age of 86.
Born in Brooklyn, New York on September 16, 1937, to Hugh Aloysius McCloskey, Sr. and Irene Francis Hague, he lost his mother when he was just two weeks old. His father married Alice Barber in 1940 and she became his new mother. They moved to The Bronx and became a family of four when his brother, Richard, was born in 1944. Hugh attended St. Frances of Rome Elementary School in The Bronx and Blessed Sacrament High School in New Rochelle, NY. After graduating in 1955, he joined the Army National Guard, meeting at the famed 7th Regiment Armory on Park Avenue in Manhattan. He attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn and received a BA in English in 1959.
After his graduation, he joined the Army, completing Basic and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Benning, GA. While on leave in 1961, he met his wife-to-be, Catherine Ann Browne, and they were married August 17th, 1963.
After his discharge from the Army, he worked for The Ford Motor Company in White Plains, New York. He began his career with IBM as a technical writer in Kingston, NY in 1967. In 1975, he transferred to IBM in Boca Raton, FL where he held a number of technical, staff and management positions before retiring in 1993. His career spanned generations of computers from punch card technology to the personal computer. While living in Boca Raton, Hugh and Cathy were involved in Worldwide Marriage Encounter as a presenting team couple. They were also very active at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church.
In December of 2002, they moved to The Villages. Hugh volunteered to serve as Activities Director for the newly-formed neighborhood social club. He also helped to form The Bronx Club and served as its president. He showed his love for the poor by becoming a member of The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. He was attracted to St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Belleview because of its outreach to the poor. He volunteered to work at the Soup Kitchen and also became involved in the Mission Circle.
Hugh enjoyed spending time with family on cruises and other trips, as well as hiking with old friends. He liked to fish and learned to play golf after moving to The Villages. He also took guitar lessons and learned to play the ukulele. Hugh loved to spend time with his grandchildren and later his great-grandchildren.
Hugh was predeceased by his son, Kevin, in 2023. He leaves behind his wife, Catherine Ann; brother, Richard (Pam) McCloskey of Boise, ID; children, Eileen Dunne of The Villages, FL, Sheila (David) Risk of Apex, NC and John McCloskey of Evergreen, CO; along with six grandchildren, Jesse (Talia) Schultz, Michael (Sarah) Risk, Hayley (Joseph) Wright, Brandon (Lovely) Raymond, Phillip Risk, and Stephen Risk. He also leaves eight great-grandchildren, Tatiana, Serenity, Jacob, Elijah, Valentina, Grey, Caleb and Elizabeth.
The family will receive friends at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, 5946 SE Robinson Road, Belleview, FL 34420 on Sunday, April 28, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 11528 SE US Hwy 301, Belleview on Monday, April 29, at 10:00 a.m. Interment will follow at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL.
