Keary Hogue

Born in a car on the way to a hospital in Hidalgo County, Texas, Keary Brian Hogue arrived in this world February 26, 1950. He was the second child of eight to Lawrence and Shirley (Ewing) Hogue.

The Hogue family lived in Edinburg, McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, until moving back to Onawa, Iowa, in 1959, when Keary was in the fourth grade. During junior high school the family moved to Moorhead, IA, where Keary attended school in both Moorhead and Blencoe, Iowa. In 1965, the family moved to their final family home in Harlan, Iowa, and Keary graduated from Harlan High School in 1968.

Keary entered the U. S. Army on October 1, 1968. He went to Ft. Lewis, Washington, for boot camp and then on to Ft. Benning, Georgia, for advanced infantry training. After completion, he attended Non-Commissioned Officer’s School and was promoted to E6 – Staff Sergeant in the 173rd Airborne Infantry Brigade known as the Sky Soldiers. Keary won an award for outstanding trainee as a paratrooper while in Airborne Ranger School in Fort Sills. He then went to serve in the Special Forces in Vietnam parachuting to the ground later in the fall of 1968. He received two purple hearts for injuries incurred from enemy gunfire being wounded by a Viet Cong soldier with 23 different shots in both legs and grazing his chest and side of his head. That soldier was killed and a member of Keary’s squad retrieved a bullet from the weapon that wounded Keary, which he still had. After initial recovery in Japan from those wounds and malaria, he was transferred to Fitzsimmons Hospital near Denver, CO. From his duty served in Vietnam he received the National Defense Service Medal, Parachutist Badge, Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Medal, Bronze Service Star, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Sharpshooter Badge with Rifle Bar, and the Expert Badge with Rifle Bar. Keary was transferred to the Army Reserves in July 1970, and honorably discharged from the Armed Forces of the United States in September 1974.

Keary was united in marriage to Jana Bramer in 1971, and later remarried in 1976 to Patty Petersen. Lastly, he met Sherri Pfeifer in 1994, who came to be the love of his life.

Keary received an associate’s degree from Iowa Western Community College in 1977, and then transferred to the University of Iowa for additional studies in 1978.

During his career Keary drove a truck for several years, worked for Western Engineering in Harlan and was currently employed by Linen/FSC (Farm Service Coop) in Harlan.

Keary had exceptional math skills and was often described as a walking calculator and enjoyed doing complicated Sudoku puzzles. He had great mechanical skills including building large scale cranes. He always said there wasn’t a piece of equipment he couldn’t run or work. Keary was also an avid photographer and an enthusiastic storyteller about his experiences in life.

Those preceding Keary in death were his parents, Larry and Shirley Hogue; his sister, Kelly Christiansen; his grandchildren, Kevin Marshall, Ricky Neal Morehouse III, Annie Michelle Morehouse and Michaela Meghan Morehouse; his brother-in-law, Scott Hockenberry; and his nephew, Shawn Hockenberry

Remembering Keary’s love and presence in their lives are his children, Shannon Julich of Harlan, IA, Robin (Ricky) Morehouse of Persia, IA and Christopher Petersen of Rockwell City, IA; and his grandchildren, Reggy Morehouse of Persia, IA and Erynn Julich and Tyler Julich, both of Harlan, IA. Also remembering Keary are his siblings, Bradley Hogue of Colorado Springs, CO, Kathie Hockenberry of Atlantic, IA, Deb (Russ) Mangels of Greenfield, IA, Mark (Carla) Hogue of Omaha, NE, Kevin (Michele) Hogue of Oxford, IA and Kolin (Amy) Hogue of Washington, IA. Also close to his heart are Bryna (Dennis) Blankman of Gretna, NE and Aaron Brader of Cherokee, IA; and Keary will always be remembered by the love of his life, Sherri Pfeifer of Augusta, GA, as well as many nieces, nephews and friends.

His once strong thriving heart was overpowered by the diseases age creates and he passed away from heart complications on Saturday, January 13, 2018, at Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.

Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. with a funeral celebration at 1:00 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2018, at Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home in Atlantic, Iowa.

Burial with military graveside rites will be in the Harlan Cemetery, Harlan, Iowa, at 11:00 a.m., Monday, January 22, 2018.

Hockenberry Family Care Funeral Home in Atlantic, Iowa, is in charge of the arrangements.