Richard L. Hogan DDS., age 86, of Miles City

Richard Lane Hogan DDS

During the last hour of Saturday, April 3, our family and community lost our beloved father, grandfather, mentor, role model, unwavering support and all-around best friend Richard “Dick” Lane Hogan who went to join his beloved wife Sharon, his parents, and his grandparents in the company of the Lord our God in the Heaven.
Dick passed away painlessly and peacefully on his own time at Holy Rosary Hospital in the loving company of the very family of whom he had worked so selflessly, relentlessly, and tirelessly for all of his adult life in our town and close-knit community. The legacy that he left in the wake of his passing was wide and far-reaching: from the family that he and his wife Sharon created in the form of 8 children and subsequently 14 grandchildren, to the patients that went through the doors of his dental office at 1812 Clark Street for 49 years, and to the friendships, work ethic, and strong positive virtues that he both impressed upon his family and exhibited all around our community as a result of a small farm that he, adorned with his favorite oozy hat, created with Sharon and their kids on the edge of Miles City.
Dick’s birthday just happened to coincide with approximately the same time as President’s Day during the middle of February. Unlike his wife Sharon who had parted ways with the concept of birthdays many years previous, Dick would happily exclaim to anybody within earshot “Look, they put the flags out for me again!” Even on his 86th birthday this year in the hospital, he was looking out the window at the flags and talking about how they had “done it again!”
Dick’s story started 86 years previously in St. Louis, MO- a long ways from Montana. Dick’s family consisted of his parents David and Amelia Hogan, a brother David, a cousin Marianne of which became a sister to him while he was growing up, and his gruff old German grandfather Herman Windweh who was a retired butcher. Dick spoke fondly of his grandfather and of the hours he spent with him growing up. His father David was both a realtor and a man with a fast car. Although there may have been other reasons, Dick’s life-long fascination with all things mechanical may have been kicked into high gear when he found himself riding shotgun with his father while racing the railroad steam engines with the howling Flathead Ford V-12 found nestled under the hood of his dad’s 1936 Lincoln Zephyr. Dick would laugh and say that getting the car up the 90+ mph was no problem- but trying to stop the car with both feet on top of the old cable-powered brake pedal and saying your prayers was entirely another story. Both things- the car and the train- earned their way into an appreciative spot in his list of life-long passions of which followed Dick for the rest of his life.
Dick grew up in the aftermath of World War 2 and all the change that went with it. His fascination with the functional, mechanical side of things found root in a job that he held during his high school and college years. He worked at a Shell Service Oil Station where he would help service cars, perform simple repairs, and then with the help of his 3-wheel Harley Davidson Servi-Car he would deliver cars to customers. During this time Dick would hook his Harley to bumper of the customer’s car and drive it where it would need to be and then sail back to the shop astride his Harley. One memorable tale he shared was about the day he was happily motoring along in a customer’s new ’59 Cadillac. Dick just so happened to look out his driver’s window and noticed a riderless Harley Servi-Car rolling alongside him and trying to pass. Upon a second curious look, Dick noticed that it looked a LOT like his. Looking in the rear view mirror, he noticed that it WAS indeed his! A few quick panicky stabs on the gas pedal and brake pedal got the Caddy in front of the Harley and then to a stop, but not without putting a
scratch in the truck of the Cadillac. Needless to say, it took the quick wit of the garage mechanic to help Dick calm the disgruntled customer and get them on their way.
During this time of cars, Harleys, and trains, Dick was in college in St. Louis and enrolled himself in a pre-medical program for dentistry. He gained entrance into dental school at Washington University in St. Louis and signed up in the Air Force ROTC program. The functional, mechanical side of life that Dick was fascinated with reappeared during this time in stories he told such as the type of engine- a Model A Ford 4-cylinder- that he found that was powering the launch that the ROTC club from his college class would sail around on the Mississippi River.
A critical time came on in Dick’s life at this time following his enlistment in active duty in the United States Air Force as a dentist with the rank of first lieutenant. Following his enlistment came his first assignment- to be the dentist for three US Air Force radar installations located in Montana (2) and Wyoming (1) as part of the DEW defense line installed during the opening days of the Cold War. Dick’s job was to spend 10 days at each installation caring for the dental concerns of the airmen located there and then hopping in his flashy 1956 Ford sedan and cruising to the next location.
Around this time, Dick made his decision to stay in Montana due to two big factors. The first was the delivery of a random box to a person in Lewistown MT. While he was drilling out cavities on his assigned base in Wyoming, a friend approached him and asked him to deliver a cardboard box to a family member in Lewistown, MT on his next trip. Dick obliged and pitched the box into the back seat of his ’56 Ford and headed north. Long story short, the person he was delivering the box to was an old retired dentist who took one look at Dick Hogan and decided to do his very best to convince this young energetic dentist that the state of Montana needed him. Even shorter, the story ends with Dick deciding to take the Montana Board for Dentists in the Placer Hotel in Helena with 80 other hopeful young dentists. As Dick told the story, there were so many dental drills running that day that they kicked the power out to the building 3 times before it all ended!
The second big decision that cemented Dick’s relocation to Montana permanently was the fateful day when he bounded through the door of the First National Bank in Miles City and asked out the pretty young secretary at the front desk. Two years later, Dick married that young pretty secretary- Sharon (Juergens) Hogan and a whole new adventure began. Dick left active service in the Air Force at this time as rank of captain- the story goes that when he went in to process his paperwork with his supervisor, he told his supervisor that “boy, the Air Force has so much paperwork that I don’t know if I could have put up with it anymore if I didn’t get out” to which his supervisor stated “well, I am so tired of cleaning up your paperwork messes that if you wouldn’t have gotten out yourself, I would have thrown you out!”
Dick and Sharon started their adventure together in a small modest house in Miles City, but soon, Dick found a treasured friendship with a fellow by the name of Art Kegel- and the search was on for a small farm. Dick had never been on a farm before, but his attitude toward this new idea was the same attitude that brought him to Montana in the first place- if you do not try something, how are you ever going to know?
Dick and Sharon bought their farm in 1971 and with that purchase came a life full of boisterous and full-filling love, 8 extremely well-behaved kids, tractors, Fords, 5 “Hoagie-mobiles” (station wagons), a wide assortment of dogs, Hereford cows, cantankerous horses, tools, motorcycles, milk, Popsicles,
homemade ice cream, Dick’s “stomach Steinway”, and more ingredients in that soup of fond memories than a person could conceivably count.
Dick’s passion for the functional, mechanical side of life manifested itself in splendid fashion on the farm and through his love for his kids. All rolling stock was not just a “truck” or a “car” or a “tractor”- no sir, they all had names and became part of the family! The truck became “Fenwick”, the car became “Thorny”, the tractor became “Chauncy” and so forth. The tools needed to service these members of the Hogan family were many and plentiful. All kids learned VERY quickly that any tool splattered with yellow paint must come back to where they came from, for those were Dick’s personal tools.
Although influenced by a particular personality, the cows were all awarded a name as well. Name-wise, one could probably guess the name “Patches” was a treasured valued cow, but “Billygoat” probably was not! “Whisker Willy”, who was a huge rowdy bull, earned a spot in the Hogan Hall of Fame when he broke out of the side of the truck while being taken to the Miles City Livestock Yard and charged headlong through the line-up for the Buckinghorse Parade one year.
Life was full when the cows were involved. Through the chores associated with the cows, Dick taught some of his most valuable lessons to his children. The cows had to eat every day- so that means there was no sleeping in- nobody ate breakfast until the cows did. The work ethic and responsibility that drove Dick and his kids to head out daily in the winter and bounce around on top of a 1948 Farmall at 30 below zero kicking hay bales off the side of trailer was a lesson that has stayed firmly planted in the minds of all involved ever since.
Calving season was an especially rewarding and exciting time for Dick and his family. Kneeling in the cold snowy manure and picking a newborn calf up to bring to the barn for warmth was a lesson about the tenaciousness and stubborn strength of life that simply cannot be found in any other way. Many hours were spent by Dick and his kids taking care of the cows as they brough new life into the world and addressing the multitude of challenges associated with each season.
Dick ran his dentist office daily and consistently for 49 years. Patients would enter and while listening to a pre-recorded reel-to-reel tape of big band music, they would receive their dental care that was delivered carefully, sincerely, and compassionately. Dick’s office was simple- one employee who would run the front desk and assist Dick with his patients. He did all his own casting and lab work for his patients. His paperwork system was equally simple, but very functional. It consisted of a cardboard box, to which he would write down what was done to a patient on a card and put it in the box. The box was carried home monthly to his wife Sharon, who would type up the bills, and then hand them off to the closest available kid who was in charge of licking the envelope and sticking it shut.
One of Dick’s favorite sayings was one he picked up from his good friend Art Kegel- the best part of traveling is putting your key in your front door when you come back home. Dick valued very highly a strong, stable, and safe home to come back to. Even when all his kids left home for the start of their own adventures in the world, every one of them could count on coming home to that strong, stable, and loving home that they had grown up in and found such strength in. They could always count on walking in the door and being greeted by a wide smile from Dick and the warm, sweet comforting smell of Sharon’s home cooked meals.
We will miss you Dad, we love you, we thank you, and we will always cherish fondly those so very many wonderful memories that you and Mom left us.
Dick was preceded in death in his immediate family by his beloved wife Sharon (Juergens) Hogan and his parents David and Amelia Hogan. He is survived by his brother David Hogan, his cousin Marianne Ambler, and his children Terri, Richard Jr. (Carolyn), Daniel, John, Paul (Kelly), Laurie (Vince), Eric (Robin), Christopher (Docia), 14 grandchildren, and other extended family members too numerous to mention.
In lieu of donations, the family requests that donations be made to either EMI (Eastern Montana Industries), Range Rider’s Museum, a school of their choice, or the First United Methodist Church of Miles City. Monetary donations made will be divided at the family’s discretion amongst these four things.
Visitation will begin on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home with family receiving friends from 4:00-6:00 p.m. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church. Military graveside services will follow at the Custer County Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting: www.stevensonandsons.com.

Service Schedule

Visitation

1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Friday April 16, 2021

Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home

1717 Main Street

Miles City, MT

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Family to Receive Friends

4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Friday April 16, 2021

Stevenson and Sons Funeral Home

1717 Main Street

Miles City, MT

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Memorial Service

10:30 a.m.

Saturday April 17, 2021

First United Methodist Church

24 N. 111th Street

Miles City, MT

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Interment with Full Military Honors

Saturday April 17, 2021

Custer County Cemetery

Miles City, Montana 59301

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