Richard C. Hoefle
Richard C. Hoefle, (Dick, Hef), beloved husband, father, father-in-law, grand-father, great grand-father, brother and uncle gave up his race through life on November 10, 2009, surrounded by family. Dick lived each day of his life fully and ran his race hard until the finish line. A veteran of WWII, he was welcomed into the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, fittingly on Veteran's Day. He celebrated his 85th birthday in September, at the family cabin, on Whitefish Lake where he toured the valley in a helicopter; a surprise gift from his sons, which has now become one that everyone cherishes.
Dick was born on Sept 12, 1924 in Seattle WA, the eldest son of Clarence and Anne Hoefle. He grew up in Highland, IL and San Diego, CA. He enrolled in the Navy and served as a naval officer on the ship LST 1129 by the time he was 20. He loved his Navy experience, made lifelong friends and claimed that he'd return in a heartbeat if ever given the opportunity. After his Navy years, Dick worked in several different national parks including Glacier, Yosemite and Yellowstone, working as a waiter in hotels, rewiring lookout towers and later as a ranger. He and his brother learned the art of tray spinning and spent many hours entertaining customers and later friends and family with this talent!
Dick graduated from CU in Boulder with a degree in chemistry. After graduation, he and lifelong friend, Bob Scott, went to Snider, Texas to make their "fortune" in the oil business. They roughnecked for three months, decided they'd had enough and settled in Casper Wyo, working for Shell Oil. There he began his 60 year career in the oil industry and found the love of his life, Jan Osborne. They were married in Billings on Oct 10, 1953 and made Billings their home for the remainder of their lives. To this union were born four sons, Steven, Stuart, Charlie and Dick. Some of the most favorite memories of Dick's were the vacations he took with his wife and boys skiing and staying at the Red Lodge house and fishing on the Baja and in Alaska.
Dick loved the adventure of the oil business, putting yellow on the map, drilling wells, waiting on logs and unfortunately, sometimes plugging them. He was proud of the fact that both Stu and Charlie and two grandsons also pursued careers in the oil and gas industry.
Hef was a stem father, who believed in discipline, "family comes first" and "you need to work hard to play hard." He was his sons', and later his grandchildren's champion and always encouraged each of them to "be whatever they wanted to be," "that setbacks are things to adjust to," and "quitting is for quitters!"
Nothing pleased Dick more than time at the cabin and time spent with family. He cherished the summers spent there with Jan and looked forward to visits from the kids and grandkids. For years, spring and fall days found Hef with a fishing pole in hand, floating either the Big Horn or Yellowstone River with one or more of his sons. He loved to hunt elk, deer, ducks, geese and pheasants and taught his sons and grandsons to love the sport as well. With both Stu and Charlie's families in Billings, Dick took an active role in their lives and relished time spent in their homes, especially holidays.
In his later years, Hef wintered in Carlsbad CA, with Jan, to be near son, Dick, where they took a special interest in the kids that Dick coaches. He continued the tradition of summering in Whitefish, leaning more heavily on Steve, with each passing year, for support and companionship. He loved his wife and each of his sons and their families with all his heart.
Dick is survived by his wife of 56 years, Jan, and his sons, Steve (Betty), Stu (Cyd), Charlie (Kristi) and Dick (Kim), 5 grandsons, 6 granddaughters, and 9 great grandchildren, his sister Carol Collins, and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Stuart, and grandson Brady.
A memorial service will be held at Faith Chapel, where Dick worshiped, on Sat, Nov. 14, at 11:00, followed by a luncheon. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Montana Rescue Mission.
Remembrances
Please leave your name and remembrance in this public guest book. Your comments will be shared on this page and forwarded to the family.
Jan,
We have been wondering why we did not see you guys after the summer in Whitefish. We really miss you and we are sorry for your loss. Dick was a truly great man and we always looked forward to seeing him. Please, come see us soon.
Everybody at Denny's
It has been many years now, but I still remember the kindness and generosity that was consistent in your family. I will always remember Dick at the YMCA getting in his workout..he was better dedicated to it than many younger men were. I am very sorry for your loss, the loss to all the Hoefle family, and to many friends, relatives and acquaintances. May our Good Father in Heaven ease the pain that such a loss brings. Corina Schwarzinger (Fredericks)
God truly blessed me with the best uncle a person could have. We will all truly miss him.
We can find comfort in knowing he is now with the Lord and reunited with his parents and Brother Stuart my father.
I look forward to the day when I will see them again when I too enter God's Kingdom.
I am also very proud to have been named after him as well.
My thoughts and prayers are with my Aunt Jan and cousins. Love you all.
Richard A. Hoefle
Paducah, Kentucky
We were so sad to hear of Dicks passing. What a wonderful person. He will be missed by all of us old timers on Del Rey Rd. So many of our memories in Whitefish we shared with the Hoefle's Great laughter and great times. Dee loved sharing salutes with Dick from our boat! Our condolences to the entire family.
Love Bonnie and Dee Pollock
Stuart, Charlie, et al:
Thoughts
are with you all - your Dad was a great guy; a man's man as they say.I barely knew him but remember this from high school age: He played handball at the YMCA and was nice enough to give me pointers now and again. He also challenged me and another kid to one-handed pushups and destroyed us; it was pretty neat.
Nice you both stayed in Billings and the business. Peace be with you all. Take care, Brad Crawford, Livinston MT, indep. landman
I was first introduced to Dick and Jan in the early 70's by my father, Bob Campbell, when he took me down to Billings as a freshman at Rocky Mountain College. Dick and Dad had worked together at Shell in the early years and I can remember Dad telling me: "If you ever got into a jam...call Dick". Little did I know that I would be calling both Dick and Jan on more than one occasion.
After I graduated from Rocky, I lost track of the Hoefles when I moved back to Calgary and started my career in the oil business. Some time in the early 80's Dick started calling me out of the blue with a "hot oil deal", of which there were many, and was wondering if I knew of any Canadians who would "want to take a piece". I never did find any takers but I did reconnect with Hef.
Sometime in the mid-90's we had the opportunity to rent a house in Whitefish that a friend of mine in Calgary had built. I called Dick and told him we were coming down and that I'd give him a call upon our arrival. As it turned out, our holiday rental was just two doors down from the Hoefles. Over the next several years the Campbells would make their annual trek to Whitefish and each time we would visit with the Hoefles and Dick would tell the same stories every year and I enjoyed hearing them every time. Mom and Dad would also join us, from time to time, and they loved getting together with Dick and Jan and remembering glory days gone by.
Eventually, my friend moved to Whitefish permanently and we stopped going to Montana. We again lost contact with Dick and Jan but Sam, a mutual friend, would let me know how Hef was doing and it was Sam who called to tell me that Dick had passed.
I can't speak of Dick without speaking of Jan. What a wonderful couple. I love them both dearly. I am very fortunate to have known them and to have had them in my life.
Goodbye Dick. Say hi to my Dad for me, when you see him.
Tim Campbell