Robert Henry Hogan

Born on April 12, 1926, to Frederick Avitus Hogan and Carrie Louise (Cronhardt) Hogan in New York City, Bob was the youngest of seven children, with five brothers and one sister. He grew up in Manhattan where he attended Townsend Harris High School. He briefly worked for a real estate company and took night classes at the College of the City of New York before entering the U.S. Army in June 1944. He served in World War II as part of the occupying force in Berlin and completed his service as a sergeant major.

Returning to the United States, he became active with the religious group Moral Re-Armament (MRA), traveling the world to work on projects as diverse as filming movies in Switzerland and handling publicity for a major tour of Latin America. When MRA evolved into Up with People in 1965, Bob continued to work and travel with them until the late 1960s.

Through MRA, he met and fell in love with Katherine Ann Wilkes of Summit, New Jersey. They became engaged in 1956 at Mission Point, MRA’s U.S. headquarters on Mackinac Island, Michigan, which Bob had helped to build. They married in 1957 at Central Presbyterian Church in Summit.

In the late 1960s, they settled in Riverside, Connecticut, where they raised their four children: Robert, Mary Kate, Margaret, and John. Bob went to work for the U.S. Trust Company as an investment manager. Despite his lack of a college degree, he rose through the ranks from assistant secretary to senior vice president and became a top-performing portfolio manager. After serving as chief investment officer for the company’s Stamford office, he retired in 1997.

Although he relished his career and clients, family was his focus. He volunteered as a Cub Scout leader for his boys and led his children on many trail hikes and mountain adventures. He loved fishing, walking, birding, and spending time in nature, especially at three of his favorite places: Belgrade Lakes, Maine; Fort Myers Beach, Florida; and Tod’s Point in Old Greenwich. Known for his sense of humor and storytelling, he collected books and poetry, which he was prone to recite at the dinner table. He mixed a mean root beer float, enjoyed steak and eggs for breakfast (which he first tried while stationed in Texas for army training), and was forever asking for a homemade Baked Alaska dessert. He stayed in shape most of his life, as a founding member of the Cardio Fitness Center in Manhattan and working out at local gyms into his nineties. A lifelong Episcopalian, Bob was very involved at St. Paul’s Church, Riverside. He served on the Vestry, helped raise funds for the church’s organ, and ran the annual church book sale with his wife, Ann, for several decades.

Bob is survived by his children and grandchildren: son Robert Wilkes Hogan, his wife Ekuko, and their children Takeru and Erica; daughter Mary Kate Anderson, her husband Tom, and their daughter Cara; daughter Margaret Ann Hogan; and son John William Hogan and his wife Rachael; along with many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings, Edward, William, Anne, Charles, Jack, and Frank; and most importantly his beloved wife, Ann.

A celebration of his life will be held this spring at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 200 Riverside Avenue, Riverside. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Riverside.