William “Bill” Hogan, a retired sergeant of the Tucson Police Department who was a key in getting ex-officers together over monthly luncheons, died Sunday. He was 93.
Hogan died in hospice care after a short illness, said his daughter Jessica Hogan. “My father had a wonderful sense of humor, and he loved his family very much. He had great friends and he maintained relationships with people. It has been very nice to hear from his friends,” she said.
Son Tom Hogan learned from his father that people may not be famous in the world’s eyes, but the world will be better off because of those who better their communities through service.
“Bill was an exceedingly caring person who always stayed active with the police community,” said former police Capt. Paul Hallums, adding that the Tucson Police Foundation honored Hogan a year ago.
“We are all one family, and he became the father of that family over decades,” said Hallums of The Police Retirees, which includes former civilian employees.
Longtime friend Phil Corrigan, a former TPD sergeant, recalled Hogan calling retirees on their birthdays to wish them well and shoot the breeze. “He was special and lived a good life,” Corrigan said.
Hogan, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., moved to Tucson in 1950, and was hired by TPD in 1953.
Two years later, he was shot in the chest at the downtown Tucson Rodeo Parade by a man causing a disturbance. The bullet exited Hogan’s left shoulder blade. He was treated at the then Pima County Hospital on South Sixth Avenue. Weeks later he was back at work. The man who shot him served about seven years in prison.
Hogan worked as a patrol sergeant, school patrol officer, court officer and public information officer. He retired in 1975. He served as interim police chief in South Tucson in the mid-1970s.
He is survived by four children, seven grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
A TPD escort and the department’s Color Guard, along with bagpipers, will take part in today’s funeral service. After an 11 a.m. Mass at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, 300 S. Tucson Blvd., there will be a burial at Holy Hope Cemetery, 3535 N. Oracle Road.
