Another community treasure is gone after a lifetime of service to Checotah. After a long and fulfilling life, Bob Hogan passed away peacefully at his home in Checotah, on Saturday, June 1. He was 96 years young from all his years of walking and working. And one thing for sure, Bob loved Checotah and the people of Checotah loved him back.
Hogan may have been the son of a sharecropper, growing up during the Great Depression, but he grew to be a man who shared his wisdom and love for community with everyone he met.
Bob always had a strong work ethic and even at 96 yearS old, he would get up and come into his office. He began working at Sharpe’s Department Store when he was only sixteen years old, and would go on to become the manager of the Holdenville store then vice president of the Checotah store until he finally retired many years later.
A graduate of Checotah High School, Bob served in the US Army. After being discharged, he met and married his wife of 59 years, Irma Lee Dailey.
Bob had a lifelong career in retail, as a “rag peddler” and when he and Irma moved to Holdenville, he became a manager of the Sharpe’s store, a scout master of a local Boy Scout troop, and a father to his son Jim, all in the same year.
Many of Bob’s former scouts became Eagle Scouts under his leadership and later grew up to be plant managers, city managers, and prominent businessmen in their own communities. One former scout, George Kernek, even became a professional baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Some of these men, Bill Anderson, Gayle Frederick and Steve Winningham, were still driving in from Holdenville, Jenks and Sulphur, just to visit with Bob and thank him for being there for them while they were young men with big dreams. In honor of Bob, who loved golfing and played into his 90s, the scouts even started an Annual Bob Hogan Golf Open at Fountainhead over 15 years ago that they plan to continue it until the last man’s standing.
When Bob moved back to Checotah besides making Sharpe’s successful, he was also very active in his community with multiple civic organizations such as Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club and Lion’s Club. He was also a dedicated member of the First Baptist Church.
Former business owner Karen Martin stated Bob was a priceless man who was always looking out for everyone’s best interest and was a genuine kind man.
“When I owned my clothing store and we had the fire that burnt down the block, I asked Bob to help me get an estimate on my salvaged inventory,” Martin said. “Bob came down with a pen and pad and walked around for two hours and then gave me the estimated amount of $63,000 in inventory. When the appraiser came and went through every piece and pile, Bob was only off by $2,000.”
“I really think it was Bob’s business mentality that made Sharpe’s what it is today. He would go around and buy up merchandise for pennies on the dollar and then sell it at the store. He was very smart.
“Bob loved his community and his church too. He often sent birthday cards to the widows and gave out of his own pocket anonymously to graduates and new parents. He told me once that he remembered how hard it was to make ends meet so he just wanted to help where he could.
“Once he was in the hospital and I was headed up to visit him when I had flowers delivered to my home address. Bob had remembered it was my birthday and called in flowers for me while on his hospital bed. I will never forget that and I told him when I got to the hospital, ‘I love you Bob Hogan’ and I’ve said that to him ever since.
“Even when he was in the hospital this last time and he knew he was dying, all he could think about was his sweet lifetime grade school friend Lorene Dixon West who is also in her 90s. He stated ‘This is going to hurt her to have to say goodbye’ and little did he realize it was going to hurt us all. What a precious man he was to us all! He will never be forgotten,” Martin said.
A private graveside service for the family will be held Friday, June 7, at 11 a.m. at Greenlawn Cemetery in Checotah. Then on Saturday, June 8, family and friends will gather to remember Bob at First Baptist Church at 10 a.m. and will celebrate his life at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary.
