J. Norman Hostetter

John Norman Hostetter, resident of Homewood at Martinsburg, passed away March 28, 2025, after a brief illness. Norm was born in Buffalo, NY on April 3, 1930, son of the late John Neff Hostetter and Nellie Orren Hostetter. On July 28, 1951, he married Anna Lois Feather of Roaring Spring, PA.

Norm was a 1947 high school graduate of Messiah Academy in Grantham, PA, and a 1949 graduate of Messiah Junior College. He received a B.A. in History from Houghton College in 1951, and completed a General Electric Economics Fellowship in the summer of 1961 at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Norm went on to pursue both masters and doctorate degrees in education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He received his Ed.M. degree in 1964 and his Ed.D. degree in 1967.

Norm served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955 at Fort Bragg, NC. He received an honorable discharge with the rank of Sergeant and Chief of Section, 3420 ASU.

Norm worked for his family gas and oil business until 1958, and then began his career in education as a high school history teacher at Akron High School in Akron, NY, from 1958-1963. He served as the Director of Teacher Education at Messiah College from 1964-1968, and then worked as the Associate Director of Admissions and Records at SUNY Buffalo, from 1968-1973. From 1973 to his retirement in 1992, Norm worked as a university admissions officer on the Central Staff of SUNY at its headquarters in Albany, NY. Even after retirement, Norm would serve in various roles, filling vacant leadership positions in the SUNY system. After retirement, Norm and Lois moved from Albany to DeLand, FL, and Cary, NC, before eventually relocating to Homewood at Martinsburg.

Throughout his life, Norm was well-known as a choir member and tenor soloist in church choirs and oratorio societies, including the Mendelssohn Club in Albany, NY. He enjoyed teaching Sunday School classes on medieval and Reformation history, and completed several family biographical writing projects. Norm and Lois traveled extensively in retirement, both domestically and internationally. After moving to Martinsburg, Norm became a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Roaring Spring, PA.

In both his professional and personal life, Norm was respected and loved for his integrity, sincerity, kindness, concern for others, and deep Christian faith. His children and numerous grandchildren have many fond memories of their father and grandfather, but perhaps they remember him most for his kind and gentle nature.

Surviving are his sister, Winifred Worman of Mechanicsburg, PA; son, Jay Hostetter of Albany, NY; daughter, Kim Hagan (Alex) of Cary, NC; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Lois Hostetter, and his brother, Kenneth Hostetter.  Services will be held privately at the convenience of the family.

The family would like to thank the staff and nurses at Homewood at Martinsburg, in the Assisted Lifestyle Center, the Springfield Skilled Nursing Center, and the Countryside Center for their excellent care.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Homewood at Martinsburg Benevolent Care Fund (https://homewood.com/foundation/make-gift-today) or Trinity United Methodist Church – Roaring Spring (434 E. Main St. Roaring Spring, PA 16673).

Arrangements by Stone Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Inc.; Woodbury.

www.stonefuneralhomewoodbury.com