Born in 1932 and raised in Burien, Fall City’s Dr. Bob Hogan, 2016 Fall City Day Grand Marshal, enjoyed life right out of a story book.

“I had a great Huckleberry Finn life there,” he said. “I always wanted to do something with animals and medicine. My grandparents had a farm, so that gave me a lot of exposure to the needs of various animals.”

In 1950 Bob left for the US Navy. He was a medic on a hospital ship in Korea for 25 months, then shipped out on a cruiser until his discharge in 1954.

After a little encouragement from friends in the service, he applied to the veterinary medicine program at WSU.

“I worked my way through school, going to class five-and-a-half days a week. I was married and had three sons Ken, Sean and Tim, one daughter Colleen and daughter Kelly on the way,” he said.

The family bought a duplex, living in one side and renting out the other. A dairy cow on campus enabled Bob to bring home fresh milk to his family every third day.

After graduating from WSU, Dr. Bob ended up in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada where he practiced medicine for a year. He returned to the U.S. in order to keep his citizenship.

His aunt and uncle lived in Fall City, right where the post office is now. He can remember sitting on their back porch when a neighbor came to tell them that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor.

Bob loved the town and in 1961, he took over the practice of the local vet, Dr. Paul Wesen. Doc, as Wesen is affectionately known, built the North Bend Animal Clinic in 1975 and covered both clinics until retiring in 2000. From 2000 to 2009 he did relief work for different vets as was needed.

Bob met Patty in 1998 at a big band dance, when he asked her for a spin around the room.

“Bob was a great dancer,” Patty said. “I asked his age to find he was 16 years older. I couldn’t believe it- he looked so young! We tried to do the Macarena but both of us messed up so bad we began to laugh. I thought, we’re quite a pair to observe.”

Bob chuckled and said, “We were laughing out on the dance floor within 20 seconds at ourselves, Patty is the only lady that insisted on leading, so I thought this is going to be interesting.”

“After a few dates filled with laughter, we found that we had the same good sense of humor,” Patty said.

“I agree” added Bob, so they began seeing each other exclusively.

Five years later they were married in the North Bend RR Station and Patty joined Dr. Bob on his 38-acre Fall City property located on the David Powell Road. They built a beautiful new home together and in 2009 started the At Home Veterinary Services.

“It was Patty who suggested the idea. I didn’t realize the need for someone to go out personally for consultations, especially for large and older animals, going to their homes makes all the difference in the world. It’s up to me to become friends with the animal and get the job done,” said Bob.

Patty, along with some part-time help, tends to the home billing office. She draws from her past experience working for an insurance company where she had administrative duties, and working in accounting and engineering firms, as she raised her son Joel, as a single mom in the Seattle area.

Bob was a member of the small Fall City Kiwanis Club, which started in 1959 and disbanded in the late ’60s.

He along with his cousin Pat Hogan were cast members of the Fall City Passion Play.

“I had four parts one night when I got a farm call for a cow with milk fever,” Bob said. “They told me I had about an hour before my next scene, so I went out in long, dark hair, beard, all dressed up in robes looking like Jesus Christ. The old farmer had one look at me and took off!”

He served on the Snoqualmie Valley School Board for five years in the ’70s and for a good many years was a team member on the Fall City men’s softball team, which won the Valley Slow Pitch League Championship in 1969.

“I can talk a good fishing story, but my dad passed away and I don’t do much fishing any more” said Dr. Bob.

Together the couple has six children that continue to live in the Northwest, 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. They both write poetry and enjoy the Northwest outdoors and wildlife.

Patty also plays the piano and enjoys reading and cooking.

Bob especially appreciates knowing so many home town folks; having coffee downtown with old friends and hearing stories that begin with “don’t you remember when.” They feel blessed living the rural life and can be found taking long walks on the David Powell Road.