The Kind of Guy

There are several pet and horse owners grieving the loss of a vet and a good friend today. Hugh Rogers died in a plan crash Wednesday afternoon , on his 50th birthday He owned his own plane and loved to fly and I imagine was out flying on his birthday, doing something he loved. He loved the outdoors and anything to do with it .
Tom and I have taken our horses to Hugh for years. A trip to see him never went without a talk about hunting, flying , horseback archery or some of his bantering and joking. In fact, we almost had him convinced to come out and try doing some horseback archery with us this summer. We always joked about JB being Hugh's favorite horse because when JB was only a yearling and still a bit wild, we took him to Hugh for a visit. The plan was to anethetize JB in order to brand him. JB gave Hugh a heck of a struggle to even get near him with the needle. Then last summer when Hugh was vetting one of the local competitive trail rides I attended, he gave me the nicest compliment when he said how JB had come a long way since that first time they had met!
Hugh had that dry , good ol' boy sense of humor that had you in stitches most times. I remember fondly just a month or so ago when we were in the clinic with one of the horses talking about his recent trips with his plane. talking about flying was his favorite subject.
He was the kind of guy that was well known through out the Flathead Valley for his generosity of time and resources for animal care, everything from the local food back to Backcountry Horsemen. I always knew he was one of those people you only get the opportunity to meet once in a lifetime, but it was only after his death that I learned just how far his generosity went. A quiet philanthropist who was always lending a hand in times of need , without questions ,to not only animals but humans as well.
This is a huge loss to the community and my heart goes out to his family and loved ones.

We'll miss you Hugh but I know your up there with your unmistakable big grin and that mischievious twinkle in your eye, flying a plan and absolutely having a ball. For the full story about who Hugh was, click here.http://www.dailyinterlake.com/articles/2009/04/03/news/local_montana/news_8761266998_02.txt