Robert C. Hogan Jr.

Robert Clay Hogan, Jr., 54, died Friday, October 8, 2010 at UNC Hospitals, his loving family surrounding him. He had been severely injured in a fall from his tractor three weeks earlier.
Rob was a family man, farmer, community leader, and friend whose life touched many. An uncommonly caring man, he was known for his generous hugs and handshakes and gifted with a shining smile and warm empathy. Rob spent most waking hours outdoors, on the land or water. He raised cattle, farmed wheat and hay, enjoyed camping trips, explored rivers, collected arrowheads, hunted deer and spent vacations boating in Maine. He shared his wonder of the natural world with his family and friends. Rob was born October 5, 1956, to Robert Clay Hogan, Sr., and Dorothy Sloan Hogan. His maternal grandparents were William T. Sloan, Chief of Police in Chapel Hill, and May Richmond Sloan. His paternal grandparents, Henry Saunders and Lillian Gattis Hogan, were the farming family who conveyed to Rob their fervent passion for the land. His grandparents’ and parents’ siblings wove a rich tapestry of family love, with enduring connections and constant social activities. Family was at the core of what defined Rob: Family were friends, and friends were family. It will be so difficult for those who remain to be without him.
Rob graduated in 1975 from Chapel Hill High and earned a degree in Animal Husbandry from NC State University in 1977. A family farmer since childhood, Rob became a full-time dairy farmer, working with his grandfather, father, uncle, and cousin on Lake Hogan Farm until 1995, when the family closed the dairy. Rob then turned to raising grass-fed beef. Each year he sold hundreds of cords of hardwood, planted acres of wheat, and sold thousands of bales of hay and straw. He and his wife, Ann, enjoyed building their business and sharing their local beef with many loyal customers and friends. The Hogans have been active members of the Orange County agricultural community for years. Rob was the seventh generation of the Hogan family to farm the land. He named Magnolia View Farm for the huge tree that shades the Hogans’ house; the magnolia grew from a seedling given in gratitude by a returning Civil War veteran whom the Hogans had sheltered. Rob had deep roots in Orange County, where his ancestors settled in the 1750s. In 1792 John Hogan granted 200 acres for establishment of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Hogan family has been the caretaker for the UNC mascot, Rameses, since the tradition began in1924 with Rob’s grandfather, Henry S. Hogan, a former UNC football player. Rob continued that tradition proudly, caring daily for the ram and ensuring that he attended all home football games. Rob generously shared access to the ram with countless fans for photos and hugs.
Rob also put down deep roots in Maine, where his wife’s family goes back eight generations. The Hogans vacationed every summer on Chebeague Island, where Rob shed his work boots and spent the summer weeks barefoot. He made many dear friends in the close-knit island community, where his strong southern accent was a source of enjoyment for the locals. Rob bought and lovingly restored two old wooden West Point boats.
Rob was preceded in death by his father, Bob, in 1995; his mother, Dot, in 1998; and his sister-in-law, Henrietta Leonard, in 2007.
He is survived by his wife, Ann Leonard; sons, Daniel, James and Henry; daughter-in-law Caroline Hogan; sister, Susan Lynn Hogan and her husband, Dominic Moore; and dear aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, nieces, nephews; and extended family too numerous to name.
The family expresses profound gratitude to all at UNC Hospitals for their remarkable loving care of Rob.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at the UNC Alumni Center on Stadium Drive. Please use the Rams Head parking deck on Ridge Road.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Conservation Trust for North Carolina www.ctnc.org the Orange-Durham Cattlemen’s Association (919) 245-2050, or the Chebeague & Cumberland Land Trust www.ccltmaine.org
Online condolences can by made at
www.caringbridge.org/robandannhogan