Dr. Hugh Kenneth Himan
January 1, 1939 ~ May 23, 2021
Born in:
St. Louis, MO
Resided in:
Arden, NC
Dr. Hugh Kenneth Himan, 82, of Asheville, passed away peacefully at CarePartners Hospice Solace Center.
Hugh spent his childhood in Danville IL, graduating from Danville High School, where he lettered in 3 varsity sports; basketball, baseball and football all four years. While playing baseball at Miami of Ohio he earned a bachelors and Masters degree in Economics. From there, he completed his education with a PhD from The University of Illinois from 1962-1965.
From 1965-1972, Hugh was a professor of Economics at Wake Forest University. He moved to Asheville to teach at Warren Wilson College. While at Warren Wilson College, he started the baseball program and was the head coach from 1975-1984. He was a beloved coach and teacher. In 2012 he was inducted into the inaugural Warren Wilson Hall of Fame.
Hugh delivered for Meals on Wheels as well as volunteered for Hospice from 2005-2013. He was also a Friend of Bill’s for 43 years.
He is survived by his wife, Sarah Himan; his children, Kim Merrill and Brock Himan (Cathy) and his grandchildren, Sam and Rory Merrill, Fletcher, Hugh and Cooper Himan; his brother, Dennis Himan and his step-children, Lynn Bowers and Chris Sugg.
A celebration of his life will be held on July 17 from 2-4 PM at 3 Bear Flower Trail, Arden, NC 28704.
In lieu of flowers please donate to Meals on Wheels of Buncombe County or WNC Bridge Foundation (formerly CarePartners Foundation).
Groce Funeral Home’s Lake Julian team is assisting the family.
Services
Funeral Home Assisting The Family:
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian
72 Long Shoals Road
Arden, NC 28704
(828)687-3530
http://www.grocefuneralhome.com
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My sympathy to the family. Hugh is remembered from our golfing days.
With warmest regards and sincere sympathy.
Terry and Maria Garren
Thinking of you and your family.
Linda Bradley
Sarah,
My heart goes out to you and your family.
Brock , Cathy and Kids, I’m so sorry for your loss. He loved all of you more than life. Prayers for peace and comfort … if y’all need anything let me know.
My most heart-felt thoughts and and prayers to the family. I don’t have the words right now to express my feelings of loss and the tremendous impact he had in my life. I had the honor to play for him, coached with him, he was my mentor and friend. Rest In Peace Coach❤️
Gone but never forgotten! You will always be “Coach”!!!!
My sincerest condolences. Thoughts and prayers for “Coach” and his family. He was a wonderful guy.
Sarah,
We send our deepest sympathy and condolences to you and your entire family.
I was an economics major at Wake Forest University, Class of 1968. Dr Himan was my favorite professor during my time at Wake Forest, as I had several classes under him. After I graduated I was drafted into the army and stationed at Fort Bragg. I remember visiting him at his house in the old West End Blvd section of Winston-Salem, near Reynolds High School, when I was home for a weekend. He was a really great guy to be around. His passing comes as quite a shock to me. His family will be in my thoughts & prayers.
My condolences to Coach Himan’s family. I have shared many stories over the years about playing baseball for him. The unique combination of he and Mickey McConnell made for quite the baseball experience. Hugh was a great guy and always looking for the positive. I am fortunate to have known him. My prayers and positive thoughts go out to the family.
When Hugh came to see you he was a bright light with such a warm welcoming smile. He really looked at you when you spoke with him and you knew he was listening and that he cared. He will be dearly missed. We are comforted knowing that his loving presence will always be felt.
Sincere condolences to all of the family.
Donna and Craig Lieder and the Jones Family
So sorry to read about Dr. Himan’s passing just now. I took three classes with him at WWC in the early 1980s. He was an excellent teacher. Moreover, as my academic advisor he inspired an introverted, uncertain, and formerly academically indifferent student to stay in college with his instruction and caring. He even visited me at my home a few hours away when I had to drop out for a quarter due to illness. Who could have guessed that he would influence my decision to make a career in higher education?!?
One of my favorite memories of him involved the economics class trying to talk him into postponing an exam. Of course, since we were studying self-interest and the free market system he wanted to know what was in it for him if he agreed! The clincher was one of the girls offering to bake him chocolate chip cookies. I offered fresh trout from the river and the morning of the exam, just before class, came to his office and dropped a stringer of flipping trout on his desk. “Wha…?!? Wha…?!?” I said, “Hey, I promised fresh fish – and they don’t come any fresher than this!” Of course, I took them outside and quickly cleaned them for him before the exam.
Vaya con Dios, maestro.