Royal Thomas Hogg Jr

Royal T. Hogg, Jr., owner/operator of TruRoy Electric in Grants Pass for over 40 years, passed away peacefully of natural causes in his home December 5, 2022. He was 88 years old.

Roy was born in 1934 in Bronx, New York. He was quick to offer and proud to say when asked that he “grew up in the South Bronx and Harlem”. He started his electrical career in 1948 when he attended a public vocational school, Samuel Gompers Career and Technical Education High School. This experience led to a full apprentice and job working with Con Edison. A few short years later he decided to enlist in the Navy and in 1952 became a Navy Seabee and shipped out of New York to Port Hueneme, California stationed out of the Naval Construction Battalion Center located there. During his 20 year naval career Roy was shipped to many different bases around the world performing a variety of construction and electrical duties including a 13 month stint in Vietnam. Roy was a Master Marksman and shot pistol for the Naval Pistol Team. He was slated to compete in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City representing USA but was deployed to Vietnam instead. Roy was sent to a variety of schools including diving, officer training and nuclear power. At one point he spent an entire year at the Antarctica as the nuclear power plant operator for the Army. Roy was made an electrical instructor for the Seabees at Port Hueneme and became the leading chief of the school with responsibilities including writing curriculum. He advanced to the rank of Lieutenant and finished his naval career in Port Hueneme as the Public Works Officer for the base. In 1972 Roy retired from the Navy and moved to Lake Tahoe, Nevada and became a licensed electrical contractor. Being an avid private pilot Roy and his wife, Trudy, stopped in a little community while on a weekend joy ride flight. They fell in love with the area and move their electrical contractor business to Grants Pass calling it, Tru (for Trudy) and Roy (for Roy), TruRoy Electric. He eventually became widely known as “Ole Roy from TruRoy”.

Around this time Roy became familiar with some of the other electrical contractors in the area and began working to develop an open shop (non-union) electrical apprenticeship program after a few years the State approved the program and Roy wrote the curriculum, became the instructor, and was the first chair of Area 5 Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee. This program became part of the Independent Electrical Contractors which Roy had a part in developing as well.

Roy was a dynamic man, always full of good humor, and known for his quality work, generosity and gregarious nature. He has always sought new challenges in his life. He was a member of and participated in many in many local and national clubs and organizations including the International Association of Electrical Inspectors, Independent Electrical Contractors, Jo Co Home Builders Association, Retired Officers Association, Retired Navy Shooters Association, Masons, Scottish rite, Shriners, Elks Lodge, and Eagles Lodge. Roy also served many years on the Jo Co Airport Advisor Board, some years as chairman.

Roy is preceded in death by his wife of 58 years Trudy (2014) and his son Jim Hogg (1972) also a Seabee. He is survived by his two daughters, Michel Gillette (Arizona) and Sydni Swenson (Alaska), and son Nicholas Hogg and wife Shelley (Merlin). He has 6 grandchildren, Shannon Gillette, Michelle Dickson, Nichole Nickols, Natasha Roach, Trudy Hogg, and James Hogg. He has 5 greatgrandchildren.

A full military service is planned for Roy at the Eagle Point National Cemetery for a date to be determined in May 2023. All friends and acquaintances are invited and the date will be announced with plenty of notice for all that wish to attend.