Stroup

Wilda Lorraine (Hogg) Fannin Stroup, 81, of Butler, a fierce and loving Momma, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and best friend, was welcomed home by her heavenly Father on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, whilst in the care of St. Barnabas – The Arbors of Gibsonia.

Born on July 2, 1943, in Chicora, Wilda was the youngest of three children of Robert Nicely Hogg and Pearl Elizabeth (McConnell) Hogg. She attended Slippery Rock State College, now Slippery Rock University, where she majored in history. Her early years were accentuated with traveling to work in the tobacco fields in Massachusetts. She was then employed at Bobbie Brooks and FMC Corporation; she was a former EMT with Prospect Volunteer Fire Department, and was an active member of the Sunset Riders Motorcycle Club.

On Oct. 16, 1970, Wilda married the late Elsworth “Butch” Fannin Sr. and returned home with him to Kentucky. The following year, they welcomed their daughter, Pearl. After a few years as a stay-at-home mom, Wilda and Butch divorced, and she returned to Pennsylvania with her daughter and found a dear mentor and friend in Dorothy Eppinger Curry, who offered her a job as a waitress at her restaurant in Portersville as she embarked on her journey of being a single mom.

Wilda then dedicated most of her career to Penreco, a division of Pennzoil Company, until her retirement in 2000. She held various roles, ultimately serving as a Grade 5 laboratory technician and white oil tester for major cosmetic manufacturers worldwide. Wilda was proud to be one of the first women to break the glass ceiling in the oil industry, and she was especially proud of her accomplishment of graduating from the Texas A&M Fire School.

In 1981, Wilda met and began being courted by James Clifford Stroup, whom she eventually married on Valentine’s Day in 1999. Their 28 years together were the happiest of her life, filled with shared passions for hunting, fishing, camping, fast cars, big trucks, all-terrain vehicles and outdoor adventures. They worked on home improvement projects, traveled to NASCAR races and built a cozy cabin in the woods for weekend getaways. They danced in the garage and in the kitchen, rode side-by-side everywhere they went and enjoyed being with each other more than anything.

They lovingly raised a daughter and five dogs, welcoming all of Pearl’s friends into their home from high school through college and beyond, where Wilda was affectionately called Momma by many. Wilda felt truly blessed to have found her true love in Jim, who embraced raising another daughter and provided a large extended family in his three children, their spouses, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as eight brothers and sisters and their families.

Wilda is survived by her daughter, Pearl Ellen (Fannin) Walker of Butler; her beloved fur baby, Shea; and granddog, Lambert James. She also is survived by her brother, Robert Dean Hogg of Butler; and her nieces and nephews, Scott (Kasey) Kniess of Fountain, Colo., Greg (Marsha) Kniess of Yukon, Okla., Kim (Charlie) Gordon of Midwest City, Okla., David (Anna) Hogg of Prospect, Darla (Brien) Weiss of Renfrew and Don (Jennifer) Hogg of Chicora.

Additionally, she is survived by her very best friend of 60 years, Janet Carolyn Weisenstein of Butler, who now will be the keeper of all the secrets.

Wilda was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jim, in 2009; her sister, Velma Edith Kniess, in 2015; her son-in-law, Ronnie Lee Walker, in 2012; her sister-in-law, Marilyn Ann (Cratty) Hogg, in 2000; her brother-in-law, Lloyd Willis “Jack” Kniess, in 1990; and Elsworth Fannin Sr., in 1993.

STROUP — Calling hours for Wilda Lorraine (Hogg) Fannin Stroup, who died Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at RAISLEY FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATION SERVICES, 387 Main St., Prospect, PA 16052.

A private inurnment will take place at Slippery Rock Cemetery, Slippery Rock, Butler County.

The family respectfully requests no flowers or gifts. In lieu of such, please donate to the Butler County Humane Society in Wilda’s memory, butlercountyhs.org/make-a-donation/memorial-donations.

For more information or to leave online tribute visit www.raisleyfuneralhome.com.

Please sign the guest book at www.butlereagle.com.