Wayne Hoger

Wayne Ruben Hoger, 61, of New Salem, North Dakota passed away after a battle with West Nile Encephalitis on December 5, 2023, with his loving family by his side. The day was filled with fog in Fargo, but prior to his passing, Heaven opened and shone bright sun, welcoming Wayne home.

Funeral Services will be held at the Peace Church in New Salem, ND on Monday, December 11, 2023 at 10:30am with burial at the Peace Church Cemetery following the service. Luncheon will be served at the New Salem Auditorium following burial.

Visitation will be held from 2-4 PM on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at Peace Church in New Salem with a prayer service at 4 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, an organization that Wayne donated to frequently and felt strongly about.

Wayne was born on June 26, 1962, as the first of five children to Daniel and Ruby Hoger in Bismarck, ND. After attending high school in New Salem until 1980, Wayne began working a series of labor jobs ranging from farm hand, truck driving, to construction.

In April of 1985, Wayne met his life-long partner and wife, Diane (Steckler) Hoger. They were united in marriage on July 18, 1986, where they started their life together in Steele, ND. In 1987, they moved to Langdon, ND where they started their family.

On March 11, 1988, Wayne and Diane welcomed their first daughter into the world, Kelly Marie. On September 29, 1992, they welcomed their second daughter, Kendra Lynn. In 1993, Wayne and Diane relocated their family back to his hometown of New Salem, ND where he began working for Morton County as a Blade Operator. This was a position that he excelled in and was well known for. Wayne often received requests for custom blading. In 1999, Wayne began working for Dakota Westmoreland Coal Mine in Beulah, ND. In 2013, he began working for North American Coal at the Freedom Mine where his Coteau family welcomed him daily. After Wayne’s first day of work at Coteau, he described the facility as being so clean you could eat a sandwich off the shop floor, and he was proud of that. This pride carried over into his day-to-day life, as he was seen daily wearing his North American Coal Freedom Mine hats and sweaters, along with is Wrangler Jeans and snap front plaid shirts. Wayne continued working there until his passing. In 2015, Wayne decided it was time to listen to the community and start Wayne’s Blade Service doing what he loved and excelled in.

Wayne’s love of the outdoors and people brought him many friends and passions. He loved spending his early mornings with his Pinochle Buddies. He was rarely found sitting still and was always willing to have a conversation. If you ever saw him driving, he was always talking to someone on the phone, and it was usually his family. On his days off, he made it a point to say hi to everyone he could at the various businesses in town. During the summers, Wayne loved to spend time fishing with his parents and siblings. Wayne’s favorite vacation spot was Sweet Briar or Lake Tschida spent camping and riding on the boat.

In March of 2016, Wayne very impatiently waited for the birth of his first-born grandchild, Emerie. In May of 2016, Wayne welcomed three more grandchildren into his home Rylee, Joseph, and Abigail. In June of 2018, Wayne’s family became complete with the addition of his final grandchild, Jace. Wayne loved his grandchildren more than anything and could be quoted saying that if he knew being a Papa was as good as this, he would have skipped straight to it.

Wayne will be remembered most for his giving heart, strong work ethic, stubbornness, and his ability to make friends with anyone he met. He is survived by his loving wife of 37 years, Diane, his daughters and their spouses, Kelly (Eric) Ferguson, Kendra (Ethan) Karch, and his five grandchildren. He is also survived by his parents, Daniel and Ruby Hoger, brothers Bruce (Sheryl) Hoger and Darrin Hoger as well as his sisters Denise Bachler and Dawn (Leo) Bender as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Wayne was welcomed home by his grandparents, and in-laws Michael and Elizabeth Steckler, brothers-in-law Eddy Bachler, Daryl Steckler, and Daniel Steckler as well as his sister-in-law DelRay Scoular.