Loretta Micklow Hight

Loretta Jean Micklow Hight, 75, of Arlington, Virginia, passed away surrounded by her family on September 19, 2026. She was a beloved wife, mother, daughter, neighbor, and friend.

Loretta was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on September 1, 1951 to Michael and Mary (Gentile) Micklow. She grew up in the nearby coal-mining town of Russellton with her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brother, and cousins – a large, close-knit family who were among her best friends.

After graduating from West Deer High School in 1969, Loretta attended an intensive secretarial program at The Berkeley School of Business in Pittsburgh and began working locally. She later relocated to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the D.C. Redevelopment Land Agency, a federal agency seeking to revitalize D.C. housing and parks. She applied and was accepted to the United States Foreign Service, beginning what would become a nearly forty-year career. In 1977, Loretta arrived at her first overseas post: U.S. Embassy Cairo in Egypt. She earned a Meritorious Honor Award for her work relaying crucial diplomatic discussions leading up to the landmark Camp David Accords, during which she met President Anwar Sadat.

Her next posting was to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea. Days after arrival at post, President Park Chung-Hee was assassinated in a military coup. With martial law declared, the young American embassy employees learned to entertain themselves. Loretta and her new friends gained appreciation for Korean art, culture, and cuisine. When not venturing out, they hosted gatherings at home. One memorable Thanksgiving was at Loretta’s small apartment, where everyone brought a dish and celebrated being together while missing their families at home. Loretta’s cadre of “Seoul brothers and sisters” became lifelong friends.

After returning to the United States, Loretta found herself in need of a car to take to her next overseas post. She bought a sporty new VW Scirocco while visiting family in Pittsburgh, but on the 4-hour drive to D.C., she decided the seats were too firm for her. Loretta took her almost-new car to a Volkswagen dealer in Arlington, VA to see if she could trade it for something more comfortable, but wasn’t satisfied with the deal the salesman offered for a new four-door VW Quantum sedan. The salesman called his sales manager, John Hight, to close the deal.

In 1983, Loretta began her next post: U.S. Embassy Dakar, Senegal. John followed to visit her, and soon proposed. She said yes. Upon returning to D.C., John drove to Russellton to meet Loretta’s family. As he passed through town, he saw a woman in a sedan approaching from the other direction, calling out, honking, and waving from her car at the man with the Virginia license plates. His future mother-in-law, Mary Micklow, had come to welcome him home.

Together in Dakar, Loretta and John enjoyed their first years of marriage. They had their wedding rings made by a local bazaar jeweler, watching the molten gold poured and custom fit for them. They toured remote country roads and visited The Gambia and Guinea Bissau.

After postings in Asia and Africa, Loretta’s career took her behind the Iron Curtain to Eastern Europe. She navigated the height of the Cold War from the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, in Soviet-controlled Poland. In 1985, she and John welcomed their first child, Jennifer, born in the U.S. Army hospital in Allied-occupied West Berlin. The new family of three took weekend strolls through Checkpoint Charlie into East Berlin. When they returned to Warsaw, Loretta and John were often followed by Polish security, and the two took turns typing messages to each other on a home computer screen to keep from being overheard by microphone bugs in their embassy-provided house. After President Reagan bombed Libya in 1986, their car was shadowed for weeks by Libyan diplomats in Warsaw. Nonetheless, the family traveled all around Poland, from the medieval city of Krakow to former Nazi concentration camps. Loretta enjoyed sampling Polish dishes, especially pierogi and goulash.

By 1987, Loretta was back in Washington, serving as Executive Secretary to the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. This work earned her a Superior Honor Award for her ability to “handle complex situations” and “stay calm under fire during several crisis situations.”

In the summer of 1990, Loretta and John welcomed their second daughter, Alison. Within months, the family relocated to Moscow, U.S.S.R., where Loretta served in the U.S. Embassy for the Deputy Chief of Mission. In July 1991, she and her family met President George H. W. Bush and Mrs. Bush while they were in Moscow to sign a major arms control agreement with Soviet President Gorbachev. During Loretta’s one-month home leave back in Washington in August 1991, a coup occurred in the Soviet Union; the family returned to witness the collapse of the Soviet Union, and by December the country became the Russian Federation. While in Moscow, Loretta and her family enjoyed visiting Red Square, St. Petersburg, and a variety of local artisans, from whom she collected many paintings and figurines. Loretta and John attended Giselle at the world-famous Bolshoi Ballet, and she enjoyed bringing her family to Easter performances by traditional Russian dancers and other events at the American ambassador’s residence, Spaso House.

Loretta returned to the State Department in Washington in 1992, and remained there for several years. She spent as much time as possible with her parents and family in Russellton during weekends, holidays, and summers. She and her daughters made cherished memories with the extended family Loretta loved so dearly. They gathered around kitchen tables for Italian food, games of Kings Corner, Canasta, Scrabble, and of course, "one more cookie."

Loretta began her final assignment abroad in 1999, as Office Management Specialist to the Consul General at the U.S. Consulate in Montreal, Canada. In the weeks following the September 11 terror attacks, Loretta spent long hours and late nights coordinating important diplomatic cables that were being rerouted through U.S. missions in Canada. Montreal was Loretta’s first and only non-hardship post abroad, and it allowed her closer proximity to her Russellton family. Her mother, Mary, visited her in Montreal, just as she had visited Senegal and Poland. Loretta and her daughters enjoyed the many activities Montreal had to offer, including the International Jazz Festival; watching the Expos at the Olympic Stadium and the Pens and Habs at the Molson Centre; strolling the streets of St. Catherine and the Old Port; and visiting the Notre-Dame Basilica and local Christmas shops. Loretta also loved cheering her daughters’ sporting events and school performances during this time.

In 2002, Loretta returned to the State Department, to the Human Resources’ Office of Career Development and Assignments. From 2007, she served as the Senior Level Assignments Officer, using the skills and experience she’d developed over decades to help newly-appointed ambassadors and other high-ranking Foreign Service clients navigate regulations and make their own post transfers as seamless as possible-- taking special care for those with families. She earned a Superior Honor Award for this work, having “exhibited the highest standards… in dealing with the Department’s most senior officials.” Loretta’s daughter, Alison, interned at the State Department from 2010-2012, and Alison loved getting a glimpse of her mom at work, having lunch together in the cafeteria, and hearing Loretta’s colleagues praise the meticulousness, dedication, and kindness she brought to her job.

Loretta retired in November 2013, her public service having spanned six presidential administrations. She earned the Secretary’s Career Achievement Award, signed by Secretary of State John Kerry. In retirement, Loretta participated in local and neighborhood activities while continuing to care for her mother until her passing in 2016. Loretta enjoyed walking, whether through the nearby Bluemont Rose Garden, or up Independence Avenue in political protest, making her voice heard. She also enjoyed spending time in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains with her husband and daughters, painting, walking the trail, listening to John play guitar, and admiring sunsets from their peaceful deck. She loved watching and attending sporting events featuring her hometown Pittsburgh teams – the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates; and listening to music by Carole King, ABBA, and The Eagles. Her other hobbies included learning the ukulele, reading, photography, gardening, and attending concerts and the theater. Like her mother, Loretta was a wonderful cook, always eager to try new recipes, especially with her daughters.

Loretta is survived by her devoted husband, John Christopher Hight, and loving daughters Jennifer Michelle Hight and Alison Marie Hight; her brother Michael Micklow; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. A mass will be held Thursday, October 1 at 11 am at St. Agnes Catholic Church, 1910 N Randolph St, Arlington, VA 22207. A gathering of loved ones will follow for those who wish to share favorite memories of Loretta’s life well-lived.

The family suggests that you remember Loretta by being kind while keeping high standards, baking a birthday cake for someone you love, and exploring the world. If you would like to, donations in Loretta’s memory may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Capitol Caring Health, or Sandy Hook Promise.