Earl was born to James and Rosa Hogan on April 3, 1914 in Kit Carson and passed away October 6, 2002 at Cheyenne Wells. Earl was the youngest of seven children. The runt of the litter, Earl had four brothers and two sisters, all preceding him in death. Earl and his twin brother, Ed, were the first twins registered in Cheyenne County.
The fact that Earl loved to argue was not a secret. As a child, he would argue all day at school. As was customary at the time, the teachers lived with the families of the students, and brave little Earl who had caused trouble all day would have to go home and have dinner with his teacher, and soon-to-be sister-in-law, Beulah.
Earl lived and worked in Kit Carson his entire life. In 1935, he was working in the elevator and living at the Kit Carson Hotel. One night, he walked in and saw Nellie Collins. What he didn’t know at the time was that Nellie had already told her co-workers that she "had dibs on the little guy." They married in April 1938.
Earl and Nellie had 5 children: Edna, Ruth Ann, Mary Catherine, Butch and Don. Earl was known for his honesty and his cow pasture sense of humor. There was always laughter when Earl was around. He was an excellent father. According to Don, on Sundays after church his dad would take them out rabbit hunting. The kids always thought that was fun. They didn’t realize it was for dinner. He taught his kids to work. "When you have a job you get there 15 minutes early, you work the entire time you’re there and work 15 minutes late," he said.
Earl had an overwhelming sense of community. He was always helping people simply because it was the right thing to do. There are probably several people here today that have benefited from Earl’s kindness or his well placed boot.
His greatest honor was being elected county judge in 1965, a position he would hold until 1981, his wife Nellie by his side. Earl always appreciated the vote of confidence from his community and never took it for granted. He worked tirelessly for the town of Kit Carson. He was a proud member of the Colorado State Historical Society, County Fair Board, Kit Carson Day Board and the Cemetery Board.
Earl was an avid historian. He mapped the old wagon trials and contributed to several books on the history of eastern Colorado. Earl never failed to point out a rut in the road or pasture and tell you exactly which trail it was.
Earl said that "all he ever wanted was a family – but he ended up with a tribe." Earl’s tribe grew by leaps and bounds and he was blessed with 16 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. Earl was the greatest antelope scout. Every year he would take his grandsons antelope hunting and give them "grandfatherly" advice. He even officiated at his granddaughter Rhonda’s wedding. As a grandpa, Earl always had a special name for each grandchild, always had time for fishing and conversation, and always dispensed his wisdom to future generations. Most of that wisdom can not be repeated here.
His advice didn’t stop with his grandkids. Once Earl and Nellie retired, they babysat Jason and Damon Dechant. Jason and Damon became a part of the family and are credited with keeping Earl and Nellie young.
Earl was preceded in death by his wife, 4 brothers, 2 sisters and 2 sons-in-law. He is survived by his 3 daughters, 2 sons, 2 daughters-in-law, 1 son-in-law, 16 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and countless friends.
A funeral mass of resurrection was held Friday, October 11, 2002 at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Kit Carson. Fr. Khanh was the celebrant. Mr. Jeff Hogan was the organist, and Mr. Tim Hogan was the vocalist for the mass and the vigil. Tim also accompanied himself on the guitar. Serving as casket bearers were: Bill Kent, Charles Oswald, Paul Dechant, Pat Ward, Gene Ward and Eddie Schreivogel. The final committal services were held at the Kit Carson Cemetery with Brown Funeral Home in charge of final arrangements.