Paul Neil Wogan

Paul Neil Wogan died peacefully at his home in Slidell, Louisiana on Saturday, December 27, 2014. He was 98. He was a homebuilder and real estate developer. A ninth-generation New Orleanian, Paul was born on June 18, 1916 in New Orleans, the second son of Lawrence Andre Wogan and Jeanne Tuyes Wogan. He was a graduate of St. Aloysius High School and Tulane University. During World War II, he served as Senior Naval Aviator aboard the battleship, USS North Carolina, flying reconnaissance missions that provided targeting information for the ship's 16 inch guns and rescuing downed pilots. After the war, he opened a crop dusting service for a short period and built and operated a Howard Johnson's restaurant on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In the 1950's, he began what eventually evolved into a highly successful and prolific career in real estate and construction, which significantly contributed to the expansion of New Orleans in what is now known as New Orleans East. With business partner, Edward J. Hemard, Jr., he formed Hemard-Wogan, Inc., a trade name that first became associated with the construction of homes in Oak Park and Lake Terrace Subdivisions. In the 1960's, the company developed Castle Manor East subdivision and then became a major homebuilder in the Kenilworth and numerous other subdivisions that were developed in the Lake Forest area of New Orleans East. Beyond homebuilding and real estate development, his company's projects included construction and operation of the Royal Deville Apartments and the Vieu Carre Motor Lodge which was built on North Rampart Street. Capitalizing on the growth of the U. S. Space Program in New Orleans in the 1970's, the company expanded to develop other subdivisions among which included Edgelake Court and the Lakeshore East Subdivisions. In that same period, Hemard-Wogan, Inc. began a new venture in St. Tammany Parish with the construction of the first of many homes and the first of three complexes which now form the Royal Eden Apartments in the newly developed Eden Isles Subdivision. Mr. Wogan remained active in the operation of these apartments until his death. Among the accomplishments of the company in the 1980's and early 1990's, was development of the Morrison Court and Tradewinds Court Subdivisions in New Orleans East. Mr. Wogan ended his career as a homebuilder and developer in 1991, shortly after Mr. Hemard's death. In addition to his professional interests, Mr. Wogan was an avid outdoorsman. With a group of childhood friends, Spring and Summer months were spent fishing in the Breton Sound and Chandeleur Island. Fall and Winter months were dominated by numerous duck and dove hunts followed by dinners which qualified as virtual feasts of food, fellowship, and spirits. Mr. Wogan was a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Slidell. Mr. Wogan is also preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Helen Edwards Wogan, and his brothers, George Tuyes Wogan and Andre Victor Wogan. He is survived by his son, Charles Stuart "Buddy" Wogan (Laurie) and grandsons, Keith (Bryttany), David, and Patrick Wogan. A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, January 6, 2014, at 10:30am, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 400 Westchester Blvd, Slidell LA 70458. Friends may visit at the church on Tuesday from 9:30 am until Mass time. Burial will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Slidell. Please visit www.honakerforestlawn.com to sign guestbook. Arrangements by Honaker Funeral Home, Inc., Slidell, LA.