Edward Columbus Hogge was a multitalented and skilled individual.

A successful businessman in Gloucester County and a longtime employee of the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Mr. Hogge also was a dedicated member of his community.

"He just had a lot of care for his community; he liked to do things for other people," said great-nephew Marty Shinn of Gloucester.

Mr. Hogge, who was the former owner of Hogge's Electronic and the retired owner of Holiday Marina at Achilles, died Friday at Sanders Nursing Home in Gloucester from complications of Alzheimer's disease. He was 88.

A lifelong resident of Gloucester, Mr. Hogge, who was a leukemia survivor, graduated from Achilles High School and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.

He graduated from The Apprentice School at the Norfolk Navy Yard and worked for 31 years as a general foreman at the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown until his retirement in 1976.

At the same time, he showed his savvy in business, first with Hogge's Electronic store, in which he sold and repaired such equipment as CB radios.

However, where he truly had his most enjoyment was owning the Holiday Marina, which he sold this decade after more than 30 years as owner.

For Mr. Hogge, owning the marina was more than a job. It was his hobby, his great-nephew said.

Mr. Hogge allowed the watermen of the Chesapeake Bay to use his marina, and while the boats were docked, he rebuilt and overhauled transmissions for the watermen. Many times, he extended credit to the watermen on a promise they would pay later.

"The majority came back and paid, but he never tried to collect," Shinn said.

Mr. Hogge was a charter member of the Abingdon Ruritan Club, a board member of the Watermen's Museum in Yorktown and the NWS Federal Credit Union and served as past president of the Virginia Association of Marine Industries.

Through the years, Mr. Hogge was generous with his time and money to the churches he attended, first Bethlehem United Methodist Church and later Bethany United Methodist Church.

He once served as the grand marshal of the Guinea Jubilee, a two-day annual event that celebrates and honors the way of life on the Guinea Neck.

Mr. Hogge was a people-person who would talk to anyone that would listen. When Shinn would ask where his great-uncle was, Mr. Hogge's wife, Katheryn Brown Hogge, replied, "'He's out talking with the telephone poles,'" Shinn said with a laugh.

Mr. Hogge was preceded in death by his wife. There are no immediate survivors.

A funeral will be held Monday at 11 a.m. at Bethany United Methodist Church, 1860 Hayes Road, in Gloucester Point. Burial will follow at Gloucester Point Cemetery.