James Robert Hoggan
James Robert Hoggan
1935 ~ 2023
James (Jim) Robert Hoggan, age 87, of American Fork, Utah, died on December 10, 2023. He was born in Manti, Utah on December 15, 1935, the only child of Raphael and Alicia Hoggan. Jim enjoyed growing up in a small community where he developed many lifelong friendships while fostering an interest in the sciences that would later translate into his career as an engineer. He graduated from Manti High School and then attended Snow College for a year in neighboring Ephraim, Utah. Jim served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Mid-Atlantic States, based primarily in North Carolina. After completing his mission, he finished college at Brigham Young University where he met his wife, Rosalind Nebeker. They were married in the Los Angeles temple on June 2, 1962 and celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary this year.
Jim graduated from BYU with a degree in Chemical Engineering and went to work for General Electric. Their first long-term home was in San Jose, California, where Jim spent over a decade working for GE as a supervisor in their nuclear power division. During this time, he also earned his MBA by attending night school at the University of Santa Clara. While in San Jose, Jim and Rosalind enjoyed raising their 6 children (David, Alicia, Brent, Craig, Erik, and Gary). In his free time, Jim indulged his love of the outdoors – hiking, backpacking, and riding motorcycles in the beautiful mountains of California.
In 1980, in a move that was indicative of Jim and Rosalind’s strong convictions, Jim left behind his steadily advancing career with GE to seek out a better environment for their children in Colorado Springs. Jim served as the Bishop of the Colorado Springs 2nd Ward for many years. In Colorado, Jim was faced with the tragic loss of his oldest son David to a motor vehicle accident. He also endured employment setbacks while running his own business during a recession. Jim’s career then pivoted to the aerospace industry, where he excelled as a Quality Control Engineer for multiple corporations including Ford, Loral, and L3 Communications. Jim cared for his own aging father in Colorado, and after his father’s passing, he and Rosalind moved to Utah to help support her aging mother and father.
Jim finished his career in Utah, and then he and Rosalind were able to focus all of their energy on their greatest sources of joy and meaning – service to the Church and spending time with their grandchildren. This service included multiple missions as a couple including presiding over the Port Hawkesbury branch in Nova Scotia, serving the Tongan people in Salt Lake City, and many years serving at the Family History Center where they both nurtured their love for Genealogy. Jim and Rosalind loved their retirement years in Sandy, Utah, where they formed many new friendships in the Willow Creek Stake.
Eventually, Jim and Rosalind moved to American Fork to be closer to their daughter Alicia and her family, which allowed them to enjoy more frequent contact with their grandchildren and also to benefit from the support of the Hilton family with the inevitable process of aging.
Jim is survived by his wife Rosalind Hoggan and five of their children, Alicia (Glen) Hilton, Brent (Georgina) Hoggan, Craig (Katherine) Hoggan, Erik (Julie) Hoggan, and Gary (Erin) Hoggan. At the time of his passing, Jim had 21 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Jim will be held on Thursday, December 21, 2023 10:00 am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel, located at 10494 North 4720 West, Highland, Utah. Family and friends are invited to attend a visitation on Thursday morning from 9:00-9:45 am prior to services at the church. Interment will follow services at 2:00 pm in the Manti City Cemetery.