RENSSELAERVILLE – Dorothy Ann Hostash worked as a nurse for 45 years, returning near the end of her life to the Hilltown farm where she’d been raised.

Ms. Hostash died on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, after a long illness. She was 73.

She was born on Feb. 29, 1944 in Albany to the late Frank Hostash Jr. and Jeanette Curless Hostash. Her father, a farmer, kept about a dozen cows on land near the Westerlo town line in Rensselaerville. He also worked as a mechanic in Ravena. Her mother sold Avon cosmetic products and also worked for years as a teller at the KeyBank in Altamont.

“She liked the country. She liked the animals,” said Suzanne Walters of her sister, Ms. Hostash.

Of life on the family farm, she said, “It’s hard work. We all did it. We didn’t complain about it because that’s what we had to do.”

Ms. Hostash became a licensed practical nurse. She worked for Albany Medical Center Hospital for 20 years — in the coronary unit and in the intensive care unit. She then worked for another 25 years at the Veterans Affairs Hospital, first in the coronary unit and then ended her career in the geriatric unit.

Ms. Hostash liked her work, her sister said. She also liked cooking and reading. Her favorite books were fantasy novels. “She read a lot about dragons,” said her sister. Ms. Hostash enjoyed cooking new things and would consult her collection of cookbooks for recipes.

She cooked mostly for herself, her sister said, but would also cook for people she visited or for friends who were sick.

Ms. Hostash loved animals. She bred a female elkhound, which had three puppies. “She kept all three,” said her sister.

Ms. Hostash was “a big cat lover,” said Ms. Walters. She spoiled her cat Sassy, who lived up to its name, and will now live with Ms. Walters.

Ms. Hostash was fond of her nieces and nephews. “She was strict but she was very loving and very generous,” said her sister. “She gave them books and spent time with them.”

Ms. Hostash herself enjoyed coloring and kept a collection of coloring books. She preferred realistic scenes, like pictures of animals or flowers or birds. “Not psychedelic things,” said Ms. Walters.

Ms. Hostash battled lymphedema for years. “It compromises your immune system. It’s hard to live with … very painful,” said Ms. Walters. It was particularly hard for Ms. Hotash, who valued her independence, to have to give up driving.

Ms. Hostash had returned from living in the city of Albany when she stopped working to live on the farm where she had grown up, which has been in her family since 1911. Finally, she lived at the Riverside nursing home in Castleton-on-Hudson, New York. “They’re very nice people there,” said Ms. Walters. “They were like family to her.”

Ms. Walters concluded,  “She’s in a better place now.”

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Dorothy Ann Hostash is survived by her siblings, Lynn Hostash and his wife, Peg; Suzanne Walters; and Gregg Hostash and his significant other, Cindy Ouellette.

She is also survived by her nephews and nieces, Dennis and his wife, Shannon; Brian and his wife, Tara; Charles Jr.; Erika Peters and her husband, James; Aaron; Filip; Gabrielle and her significant other, Joseph Rogers who are expecting a baby, to be named Edward Rogers; and Helena.

She was the great aunt of Isabell Peters, Franklynn, Aurora, and Marcelline Hostash, and the honorary aunt of Dax and Mads Ouellette and Christopher Davis.

Calling hours will be held on Sunday, Feb. 4, from noon to 2 p.m. at the A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home at 4898 Route 81 in Greenville, followed by a memorial service at 2 p.m. Mourners may post condolences at ajcunninghamfh.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to The National Lymphatic Education and Research Network, 40 Garvies Point Rd., Suite D, Glen Cove, NY 11542.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer