Obituary for Roy Donald Hogan
Roy Donald Hogan has died at age 87 years of Covid 19. Treasured husband of 63 years of Joan (nee Flowers); beloved father of Michelle (George) and Kris ( Chris); loving Grandfather to Dylan ( Sarah) and Nick and loving Great Grandfather to Chloe. He is remembered fondly by his siblings' children: his
beloved nieces and nephews and their children.
Woodsman, Rock Hound, Gourmet Cook, Volunteer, Artisan.
Our dear father Roy Hogan left us early this morning December 21 2020. He was a generous creative person, marvelous inspiring father and perfect match for our Mum. We had one great visit with Dad last year when the humour came back somehow through his dementia and we laughed together about something silly and I remembered how fun it was growing up with we four witty quippers telling goofy jokes and teasing each other. It's kind of Cosmic that he was born on September 21 (Autumnal Equinox) married Mum June 21 (Summer Solstice) and his last day here was Winter Solstice December 21. (Michelle)
The youngest child in a family of six kids Roy was born late in life to Sigurd Larson Hogan and Ragna Hogan (nee Johanssen), Norwegian immigrants, in the small remote enclave of Dyment in Northwestern Ontario during the Great Depression. His childhood was a rustic one, and luckily his frugal and clever mother was very good at putting away harvests of berries and vegetables from their little farm for winter. He learned to hunt birds and rabbits for food and one year his successful hunting of a deer put food on the family's table and that of their neighbours in a particularly harsh winter. He was pre-deceased by his parents, his cherished sisters Signa Brackett, Ella Saunders and Margaret Shapland and his dear brothers Walter and Lloyd.
Roy rode out of Dryden in 1950 in a beautiful gold convertible car driven by a friend who’d won the car in a contest, vowing never to work in the Dryden Paper Mill.
Roy had an exciting military career in the Royal Canadian Air Force spanning the dangerous Search & Rescue of lost planes in Northern regions of Quebec and Ontario and eventually Fighter Control Operator leading the crews who constructed the flight paths of planes landing in Canadian Air Bases. These crews led by Roy and others notably served around the clock during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 on the NORAD protection project known as The Pinetree Line.
It's a family joke that when Roy and Joan first met in the Commissary at RCAF Edgar Base in 1956 she outranked him. The family lore is that Joan who was serving in the Reserves was a Corporal and outranked Roy but they fell in love anyway! She now says that her rank in the Reserves as Corporal was a different system than RCAF Corporal so it was only in name. They were married June 21, 1957 in Joan's hometown Toronto, Ontario in the Little Church of Norway. They received orders to transfer to another base right away and had to get special permission to stay in Toronto for the wedding service! She resigned the reserves upon marrying Roy as was expected in those days and he became a RCAF Corporal soon after. Michelle was born in Spring of 1958 when they were stationed in Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec.
During the six years from 1958 to when Kris was born in Spring of 1964 in Kamloops British Columbia the family had moved seven times. Roy was stationed in the Radar Offices of an RCAF Base and was moved out to the next one as the mathematics involved and done by hand efficiently by servicemen and servicewomen was taken over one by one by new computer systems.
While living in Kamloops Roy visited a Rock Hound store called Thompson Valley that gave rock cutting lessons and he became a lifelong avid rock hound and lapidary. Many a Sunday family outing in summer would end up with us looking for jasper or quartz in a bone-dry derelict sand quarry.
After leaving the Forces in 1964 Roy brought the family to the town of Dryden where his parents and most of his siblings lived and he took a job on the paper machines at the Dryden Paper Mill where he worked night shifts for a few years.
Roy joined the Post Office as a Letter Carrier in the 1970's in Dryden, transferring to Orillia in 1975 so the family could be closer to Joan's parents in Toronto. He enjoyed the discipline of early mornings, the long day walking and the interaction with people. He was a sunny happy guy that everyone was happy to see on his route.
In Dryden Roy outfitted a rock cutting and polishing studio in the family basement with many machines like tumblers and diamond saws and worked on many projects like earrings for Joan and the girls.
As a volunteer throughout his life Roy served as a member of the Frontiersmen group in Dryden and a member of the local volunteer firefighters. Roy dedicated years of his time to serve as Commanding Officer of The Navy League's Sea Cadet Corps in Dryden Ontario and later led the 99 Lynx Squadron of Royal Canadian Air Cadet Corps in Orillia.
Joan and he delivered Meals on Wheels for many years in Orillia and he ran the Orillia Red Cross Blood Services drive with his friend Neil Hurtubise for many years. Roy also donated more than 100 pints of his blood and was awarded a Red Cross Badge of Honour.
In the late1980's Roy retired from the Post Office and the family teased him because he then took on a part time job manning the Orillia Train and Bus Depot. Roy loved trains from a small boy and he liked to help people. When it came to trains, Roy delighted his young grandsons every Christmas when he would set up a complicated railway line for his toy trains with miniature houses and trees running around the Christmas tree and through the living room.
Eventually Joan and Roy (now truly retired) started their own small business making miniature porcelain dolls and wigs. Roy figured out how to pour porcelain clay slip into the moulds and they bought two kilns to augment their basement studio. Joan's lifelong interest in historical fashion led them to dress the dolls Roy made in period costumes, also made by the pair. They won awards for their beautifully made and dressed dolls. They designed and built beautiful tiny boxes of rooms with miniature bookcases and tiny period furniture. They were regular and popular vendors at the Ontario and Quebec Miniature and Doll Shows operating under the name Joan and Roy Hogan Dolls.
After a five year struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, Roy caught Covid-19 in December in his LTC home and died within days of the positive test.
His love and bravery continues to inspire us as does his lifelong creativity and energy working to help others.
beloved nieces and nephews and their children.
Woodsman, Rock Hound, Gourmet Cook, Volunteer, Artisan.
Our dear father Roy Hogan left us early this morning December 21 2020. He was a generous creative person, marvelous inspiring father and perfect match for our Mum. We had one great visit with Dad last year when the humour came back somehow through his dementia and we laughed together about something silly and I remembered how fun it was growing up with we four witty quippers telling goofy jokes and teasing each other. It's kind of Cosmic that he was born on September 21 (Autumnal Equinox) married Mum June 21 (Summer Solstice) and his last day here was Winter Solstice December 21. (Michelle)
The youngest child in a family of six kids Roy was born late in life to Sigurd Larson Hogan and Ragna Hogan (nee Johanssen), Norwegian immigrants, in the small remote enclave of Dyment in Northwestern Ontario during the Great Depression. His childhood was a rustic one, and luckily his frugal and clever mother was very good at putting away harvests of berries and vegetables from their little farm for winter. He learned to hunt birds and rabbits for food and one year his successful hunting of a deer put food on the family's table and that of their neighbours in a particularly harsh winter. He was pre-deceased by his parents, his cherished sisters Signa Brackett, Ella Saunders and Margaret Shapland and his dear brothers Walter and Lloyd.
Roy rode out of Dryden in 1950 in a beautiful gold convertible car driven by a friend who’d won the car in a contest, vowing never to work in the Dryden Paper Mill.
Roy had an exciting military career in the Royal Canadian Air Force spanning the dangerous Search & Rescue of lost planes in Northern regions of Quebec and Ontario and eventually Fighter Control Operator leading the crews who constructed the flight paths of planes landing in Canadian Air Bases. These crews led by Roy and others notably served around the clock during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 on the NORAD protection project known as The Pinetree Line.
It's a family joke that when Roy and Joan first met in the Commissary at RCAF Edgar Base in 1956 she outranked him. The family lore is that Joan who was serving in the Reserves was a Corporal and outranked Roy but they fell in love anyway! She now says that her rank in the Reserves as Corporal was a different system than RCAF Corporal so it was only in name. They were married June 21, 1957 in Joan's hometown Toronto, Ontario in the Little Church of Norway. They received orders to transfer to another base right away and had to get special permission to stay in Toronto for the wedding service! She resigned the reserves upon marrying Roy as was expected in those days and he became a RCAF Corporal soon after. Michelle was born in Spring of 1958 when they were stationed in Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec.
During the six years from 1958 to when Kris was born in Spring of 1964 in Kamloops British Columbia the family had moved seven times. Roy was stationed in the Radar Offices of an RCAF Base and was moved out to the next one as the mathematics involved and done by hand efficiently by servicemen and servicewomen was taken over one by one by new computer systems.
While living in Kamloops Roy visited a Rock Hound store called Thompson Valley that gave rock cutting lessons and he became a lifelong avid rock hound and lapidary. Many a Sunday family outing in summer would end up with us looking for jasper or quartz in a bone-dry derelict sand quarry.
After leaving the Forces in 1964 Roy brought the family to the town of Dryden where his parents and most of his siblings lived and he took a job on the paper machines at the Dryden Paper Mill where he worked night shifts for a few years.
Roy joined the Post Office as a Letter Carrier in the 1970's in Dryden, transferring to Orillia in 1975 so the family could be closer to Joan's parents in Toronto. He enjoyed the discipline of early mornings, the long day walking and the interaction with people. He was a sunny happy guy that everyone was happy to see on his route.
In Dryden Roy outfitted a rock cutting and polishing studio in the family basement with many machines like tumblers and diamond saws and worked on many projects like earrings for Joan and the girls.
As a volunteer throughout his life Roy served as a member of the Frontiersmen group in Dryden and a member of the local volunteer firefighters. Roy dedicated years of his time to serve as Commanding Officer of The Navy League's Sea Cadet Corps in Dryden Ontario and later led the 99 Lynx Squadron of Royal Canadian Air Cadet Corps in Orillia.
Joan and he delivered Meals on Wheels for many years in Orillia and he ran the Orillia Red Cross Blood Services drive with his friend Neil Hurtubise for many years. Roy also donated more than 100 pints of his blood and was awarded a Red Cross Badge of Honour.
In the late1980's Roy retired from the Post Office and the family teased him because he then took on a part time job manning the Orillia Train and Bus Depot. Roy loved trains from a small boy and he liked to help people. When it came to trains, Roy delighted his young grandsons every Christmas when he would set up a complicated railway line for his toy trains with miniature houses and trees running around the Christmas tree and through the living room.
Eventually Joan and Roy (now truly retired) started their own small business making miniature porcelain dolls and wigs. Roy figured out how to pour porcelain clay slip into the moulds and they bought two kilns to augment their basement studio. Joan's lifelong interest in historical fashion led them to dress the dolls Roy made in period costumes, also made by the pair. They won awards for their beautifully made and dressed dolls. They designed and built beautiful tiny boxes of rooms with miniature bookcases and tiny period furniture. They were regular and popular vendors at the Ontario and Quebec Miniature and Doll Shows operating under the name Joan and Roy Hogan Dolls.
After a five year struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, Roy caught Covid-19 in December in his LTC home and died within days of the positive test.
His love and bravery continues to inspire us as does his lifelong creativity and energy working to help others.