Brian Hegge

Brian Hegge, a longtime resident of Rhinelander, died suddenly on Sunday, July 6 while engaged in one of his favorite activities — biking with friends. He was 66. Brian spent his childhood in Whitehall, and graduated from Whitehall Memorial High School in 1976. It was a special time for him as he maintained contact with many of his high school friends throughout his life. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in 1980 and completed additional graduate work at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

Brian was an avid and highly accomplished outdoorsman and adventure seeker. In addition to biking, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, hiking, cross country skiing, camping and traveling to remote locations that were often only accessible to skilled navigators to witness some of nature’s hidden beauty. Brian was not a casual participant in these activities; he hiked and biked lengthy distances to reach some of his desired destinations. He was very proud of hiking the very challenging John Muir Trail. He traveled to mountainous areas out west in pursuit of specific game or in search of rare trout. He competed in the Birkebeiner cross country ski competition (34 miles) achieving his desired goal of 20 years of participation. He especially enjoyed traveling throughout the Southwest in search of hard to find petroglyphs. In more recent years, he discovered the joys of international travel while visiting Galapagos, Antarctica, Africa, Germany, Austria and Italy. Family and friends were the primary beneficiaries of his extensive research and detailed planning as they often accompanied Brian on his travels.

Brian was generous with his time in other ways as well. He was committed to helping young people become competitive cross country skiers so he served as a volunteer coach for kids in the Rhinelander area. He routinely assisted with clearing and grooming both ski and bike trails in the Rhinelander area. He often stopped to help and coach other hikers and bikers in need of assistance and he gladly shared whatever precious supplies he was carrying (homemade bacon and beef jerky come to mind). Commitment to family was important to Brian! During his travels, he would travel many extra miles just to visit sisters, nieces and nephews. Additionally, he loved spending time with family at Steve and Trudy’s lake home in Minong.

With a degree and additional graduate work in chemistry, Brian was a man of science. He was a passionate environmentalist who cared deeply about the conservation of resources and the protection and preservation of the public lands he enjoyed so much. It was no small coincidence that his many years working for MSA Professional Services were spent cleaning up chemical messes made by those who did not share his concern for our precious planet.

Brian was preceded in death by his parents, George and Kathryn Hegge, and by his brother-in-law, Alan Passow (Kären).

He is survived by three sisters – Kären (Alan Passow), Gretchen (Robert Dean), and Marilyn (Mike Kounnas) and one brother, Steven (Trudy Smith). He is also survived by three nieces – Megan (Passow) Swartout, Krista (Passow) Lease, Kahla (Dean) Verhoef and four nephews – Alexander Dean, Nicholas Hegge, Matthew Hegge, and Connor Kounnas. Each had a special relationship with him, which carried over to their children. Ask any of them what they remember about Brian, and his Donald Duck impersonation will certainly be on the list.

A celebration of life gathering will be held at the Pines Event Center on Sunday, Aug. 3, at 2:30 p.m. with a visitation from 2 p.m. until the time of service. Memorials can be directed to the Northwoods Nordic Ski Club, National Park Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, or the Rhinelander Silent Trails Association. The family is deeply thankful for Brian’s many friends who supported him, cared for him, and enjoyed the journey with him. You may leave your private condolences for the Hegge family at www.carlsonfh.com. The Carlson Funeral Home, 715-369-1414, is handling the arrangements for the family.