Richard Kogge

Richard "Rich" Kogge, 92, of Cape Girardeau died Saturday, Dec. 30, 2017, at the Missouri Veterans Home.

He was born March 7, 1925, in LaSalle, Illinois, to Vincent Anthony and Charlotte Ann Kogge. He and Patricia "Trish" Sullivan were married Oct. 19, 1957, at St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheaton, Illinois.

Rich proudly served in the Navy during World War II. He flew missions as a flight engineer and tail gunner on a PBM, primarily in the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Theater of Operations.

He was a graduate of Cape Girardeau Central High School and attended Southeast Missouri State University and the University of Illinois.

Rich's first job was working with his dad at Marquette Cement. Shortly after his honorable discharge from the Navy, he worked in construction in Anchorage, Alaska. Upon his return, he entered the land-surveying profession and soon passed the state exams required to become an independent registered land surveyor.

After working for some years as a professional land surveyor in northern Illinois, he moved his family to his beloved Cape Girardeau and established Kogge & Associates Land Surveying. He was a superb draftsman who carried out his fieldwork with extraordinary accuracy. He was tireless in the field, impervious to extremes of cold or heat, and displayed the agility of a cat in the bush well into his later years.

Rich was a loving, intuitive man who readily and enthusiastically shared life lessons in his own unique, lighthearted, and often hilarious manner. He delighted in playing his guitar and singing old country songs and 1940s pop-jazz tunes. But above all, he was Papa. Nothing gave him more pleasure than spending time with his family.

He was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

He was an avid fisherman and gardener. He prided himself on growing the biggest tomatoes in Cape Girardeau. He was also a craftsman at heart and took up luthiery in his 80s. He constructed a total of six guitars, including two youth models for his great-grandsons.

Survivors include a son, Dennis (Noriko) Kogge of Seattle; three daughters, Mary (Scott) Richards and Dianne (Paul) Roth, both of Cape Girardeau, and Eileen (Tony) Spratt of Eureka, Missouri; sister-in-law, Mary Kay Sullivan of Cape Girardeau; 10 grandchildren, Nathan, Justin and Francis Kogge, Kate (Jared) Reeves, Megan (Mark) Frazier, Tricia (Lee) Hodges, Jacquelyn Roth, Ryan (Tabitha) Spratt and Kyle and Shannon Spratt; eight great-grandchildren, Josh, Luke and Andrew Reeves, Haddie and Amelia Frazier, Abigail Moore, Delaina Beattie and Natalie Spratt.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Donald Vincent Kogge; and, only one week prior, his loving wife of 60 years, Patricia "Trish" Kogge.

A memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Cape Girardeau, with the Rev. Bobby Manso officiating. Full military honors will follow, provided by Missouri Funeral Honors.

The family encourages all attendees to join them immediately following the Mass for a luncheon to be held at the parish center across from the church to share memories and a few laughs about a man who believed the secret to longevity was to not take life too seriously. He was, by all accounts, a most able and avid steward of this belief.

Memorial contributions may be given to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital or the Missouri Veterans Home of Cape Girardeau.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.

Ford and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.