Anne M Hotaling (Podgorski)

Anne M. Hotaling (80) of Rexford/Clifton Park passed away March 3 at Albany Medical Center after experiencing a stroke at home on February 28. Born in Schenectady in 1940, Anne was the daughter of Joseph T. and Anna Sorensen Podgorski. She grew up in the Electric City, graduating with honors from Mont Pleasant High School in June 1958. Following high school, she attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, graduating in 1962 Cum Laude with a BA in English. Anne taught secondary English for two years in the Lansingburgh School District before marrying her husband Don in April 1965. For the next year, while she and Don lived in Albany, Anne worked on her Master of Arts degree, which she received from SUNY Albany in June 1966.



Anne taught English at Fayetteville-Manlius while Don was completing his MS Ed. degree from Syracuse University in 1967 before they returned to the Capital Region. In 1968 they purchased a home on Goode Street in Burnt Hills, and Anne began a secondary English teaching position in the BH-BL School District, which continued until she was injured in a classroom incident in 1981. Her injuries and the subsequent medical repercussions ultimately led to an early retirement from her teaching career.



From her days as a cheerleader in high school and throughout her life, Anne loved being active. Anne grew up close to Central Park in Schenectady, where she swam, learned to ice skate, and went sleigh riding. For a summer during college she was also a playground director at Central Park. She seemed to inherit her father's love of the water and swimming and joined the synchronized swimming group while at UMass, as well. Going for daily walks was a part of her own family's activities growing up and it continued to be a regular part of her life.



Anne loved watching and feeding the birds and local wildlife. Every morning she would be in the yard with breakfast for her feathered friends before feeding herself. The nearby family of crows knew to watch for her and saw her as a friend. After a rainstorm, Anne could be seen rescuing earthworms on the sidewalks and roads, using a technique her mother taught her. She passed on that compassion to her granddaughter, who continues to rescue all the small creatures she finds.



Anne was a voracious reader and loved to do research on multiple topics, particularly family history and genealogy. She much preferred hard copy to screens. She would read two local newspapers daily as well as weekly magazines relevant to a wide range of fields, all the time marking special articles with a red pen for Don to be sure to read. Family members believed that it was impossible for Anne to digest food if she didn't have print before her eyes.



Crazy about plants of all sorts, she relished researching new varieties and possible additions to her gardens. While living in Burnt Hills, she could hardly wait each year to "paint" the property with flowers and other plants. For a while, Anne also served as the landscape chairman for a senior community homeowner's association in Oceanside, CA, an incredible challenge for someone raised in upstate New York. She loved and thrived on making her West Coast home bloom.



For the last 20 years Anne brought that same passion to her Rexford home. She enjoyed “talking dirt” and overseeing the landscaping on her property as well as helping to watch over and maintain the fields and stream across from her home. Natural preservation was deeply important to Anne. She and Don were both actively involved in collecting signatures and getting out the vote for the newest Clifton Park town park. The day the new park was approved was extremely satisfying.



Anne is survived by her husband of nearly 56 years, H. Donald Hotaling of Tintagel Way in Rexford, a son, Scott A. Hotaling of Wasilla, AK, a granddaughter, Honoré Gwen Hotaling DerGurahian and her mother Jean DerGurahian, both of Latham. Other survivors include her sister-in-law Joyce Hotaling Kent and her niece Meredith (Josh) Kent Berman, both of NYC, as well as some cousins.



In recent years, both Anne and Don have relished the opportunity to get to know and love their granddaughter, Honoré, and are incredibly grateful to Jean and her family members who have been so welcoming during difficult times.



Private services will be held for family and friends later in the spring at a family plot in Parkview Cemetery.



In lieu of flowers, donations in Anne’s memory, including her passion for gardening and fond childhood connections to Schenectady’s Central Park, can be sent to The Central Park Rose Garden Restoration Committee PO Box 3814 Schenectady, NY 12303-3814.