Thomas Robert Hogan

Thomas Robert Hogan passed away on June 14, 2022.  He was 63 years old.  Born in Salt Lake City in 1959 to Daniel and Barbara Bell Hogan, Tom moved with the family to Boise in 1970 and lived there for the rest of his life.  He attended junior and senior high school in Meridian and graduated from Boise State University with an Associate Degree and Welding Certificate in 1979.  He continued learning throughout his life, reading widely and working to perfect new technical skills.

From an early age, Tom enjoyed making things, and he was very good at it.  At 14, he was producing fine furniture in his school shop classes, forging knives in his parents’ garage, and crafting jewelry in the kitchen. In 1984, he began working for Western Trailer and found a match for his skills and temperament.  His abilities were soon recognized and, over the next 38 years with the company, he was promoted to supervisory positions, then to troubleshooting and design/development work, and finally he became Maintenance and Operations Manager.

Tom liked traveling with family and friends, especially to places he had read about in history books or classic adventure novels.  He most loved the canyon and red rock country of southern Utah and the Four Corners, which he had explored as a young man on long jeep trips with his good friend,
Bob Hartman.  He wandered through Ireland, visiting his grandfather’s birthplace and the Irish relatives still living in the village.  Later, he joined his brothers and sister-in-law on trips to England, Egypt, and Tanzania.

In later years, though, Tom kept pretty close to home.  Apart from family gatherings and target shooting with friends, he spent most of his free time in the metalworking/machining and woodworking shops that he had built onto his house.  He embarked on a seemingly endless series of projects – usually several at a time – fashioning everything from power hammers and hydraulic presses to knives, walking sticks, and tobacco pipes.  Everything he crafted was a work of art, and nearly all of it was custom made as gifts for family and friends.

At bottom, Tom was a perfectionist, a consummate craftsman, and also a romantic.  On the surface, he often presented a gruff face and stern demeanor but, to those who knew him well, he was also a thoughtful and generous person with an insatiable curiosity about the world in which he lived.

Tom is survived by his mother, Barbara; his brothers and sisters-in-law, Patrick Hogan and Lynne Sebastian of Corrales, NM, and Jeffrey and Deborah Hogan of Salt Lake City; nieces Kelly and Brynn; and nephews Jason, Shaun, and Jeremy.  He was preceded in death by his father, Dan Hogan, and his niece Jennifer.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Tom’s life at the Hillcrest Country Club, 4610 Hillcrest Drive, Boise, Idaho on Thursday, July 7, 2022 from 5 to 7pm.

Tom loved animals of all sorts and good whiskey.  If you are so inclined, please raise a glass in his memory.  In addition, the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Tom’s name to your favorite charity devoted to animals.