Herman "Doc" Ogren

Herman August Doc Ogren

1925 - 2014

Herman August Doc Ogren, March 31, 1925, to

Jan. 12, 2014, 88, died in Christ suddenly at Jenkins Veterans Domiciliary Home of Florida in Lake City, Fla.

He is survived by brother, Dennis (Anita) Ogren of Kenosha, Wis.; daughters, Karen (Robert) Garren of Gainesville, Fla., Lorrie Ogren of Northborough, Mass., Sherrie Ogren of Union Grove, Wis.; grandchildren, Leif, Joshua, and Ashley Ogren; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; ex-wives, Lorretta Ogren of Sturtevant, Wis., and Claudia Frank-Ogren of Racine Wis.; and step children, Michelle Frank-Englehart and Daniel Frank.

He was preceded in death by daughter, Lisa Jean Ogren of Kenosha, Wis.; sons, Kim Helgar Ogren of Tempe, Ariz., Christopher Herman Ogren of Kenosha, Wis.; parents, Walter and Helga Ogren; brother, Kenneth Ogren; and sister, Rosemary (Robert) Vogel, all of Kenosha, Wis.

At age 17 years during WWII, Doc volunteered to serve with the Army Air Corps aboard the 317th Troop Carrier as a pilot navigator in the Pacific Theater earning a Bronze Star and from which experience he proudly recounts many adventures. During a plane crash he sustained injury to his right leg which was later amputated below the knee. He was granted rank of 2nd Lieutenant in the Reserves. Using the GI Bill, he obtained a Baccalaureate degree from University of Wisconsin, a Masters degree from University of Montana, and a PhD from University of Southern California in biology/mammology while researching big-horned sheep. In New Mexico he served as Deputy Marshal and as a field biologist for the US Fish and Game Department. He taught Biology at University of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC., Elmhurst College, Ill., and at Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisc. where he also taught comparative anatomy, anthropology, astronomy, and ocean scuba diving, traveling with students to the Florida Keys and throughout the Caribbean. He was known for his passionate teaching style and was popular with students, influencing many to become involved with the earth sciences and conservation. With son Kim, he worked on and raced motorcycles and a Triumph 3 sports car. An avid hunter, he bragged about killing deer with every known weapon including a home-made black-powder muzzle-loader. He enjoyed water skiing and down-hill and cross-country snow skiing. He enjoyed boating and sailing. In 1970 he rebuilt a burned out steel-hulled tugboat into a cabin cruiser and he and his children toured the Lake Michigan coastline. During 1983-1984 Doc and Claudia traveled around Africa photographing mammals for a publishable field guide. They visited South Africa during the Apartheid Era and Doc climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mount Kenya in Kenya. They visited China and Peru. During 1994-2003 Doc and Dennis built a Lanceaire kit high-performance plane and, at age 74, Doc became the oldest person to obtain a pilots license. In 2001 Doc participated in an Antarctic Polar research expedition, diving a crater lake. He retired to Lake City, Florida where he continued an active lifestyle of hiking, biking, dating women, attending church, and participating in Veterans Day Parades.

Memorial Service plans have not yet been finalized but will be conducted in Kenosha, Wis. For updates please contact Karen Garren at iluvfla@bellsouth.net or call (352) 316-3453.