Richard Hoge

Richard Hoge, the third generation of the family to ranch north of Bismarck, North Dakota, died Sunday, September 3, 2018, while out driving a favorite route on the River Road north of Bismarck. He was 76. Services will be held at 11:00 am Saturday, September 8, at First Lutheran Church, 800 N 7th St., Bismarck, with Rev. Allen Wagner officiating. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck. Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Friday, September 7, at Eastgate Funeral Service, 2302 E. Divide Ave, Bismarck, where a prayer service will begin at 7:00 pm. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Richard Hoge was born February 8, 1942, near the farm his mother Ida and father Paul had started in Baldwin, North Dakota. His father, Paul T. Hoge and mother Ida M. Hoge taught Richard the value of hard work and how to ranch. From a very young age, Richard had to learn how to juggle ranching chores with schooling. 1st in a 1 room school house in Baldwin, ND thru 8th grade, and then with high school in Bismarck, ND, thru 12th grade where he also played on the football team and graduated in 1960. Richard Hoge and brother Don Hoge were partners in Hoge Enterprises for over 60 years. Having success in hogs in the early years, then cattle they branched out with their 1st piece of land in 1958 in Wing, North Dakota, added land in 1973 along the Missouri river in Washburn, North Dakota, and finally in 1989 adding land on the Missouri river in Stanton, North Dakota. Each addition to the ranch required significant effort to make ready for full production. Installing miles of fencing at Wing, clearing and leveling land for irrigation in Washburn and Stanton, required years of effort for their growing operations. Richard Hoge hated to repair machinery, but he loved just about everything else about ranching and farming — his horses, cattle, hogs, cats, his trusted dogs, and especially the land. Richard would never have been satisfied if he’d had to give it up altogether, he was on the ranch since birth. Richard Hoge was one of our family’s direct links to our agricultural heritage. There was always something to do on the ranch. There were no breaks, and even fewer vacations, especially in the winter time where fixing the equipment and the cattle feeding operations dominated the bitter cold days. When Richard Hoge did take a break, he enjoyed his 1 trip to Sweden in 1977, vacations in Mexico, his many friends in Wilton, ND., the ND State Fairs, watching old westerns, and catching up with his family members. Richard Hoge is survived by his brother, Donald J. (Carol) Hoge, Bismarck, ND, and Jeanne M. (Dennis) Bergren of Crystal Lake, IL; and nine nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Paul T. Hoge; his mother, Ida M. Hoge; his sister, Helen Hubbard, his brother-in-law, Dick Hubbard; his brother in-law, Dennis A. Bergren; his nephew David Umbach (Teresa); and his nephew Dennis P. Bergren.