Hugh Patrick Sughroue was born on January 25, 1951 at St. Catherine's Hospital in McCook, NE to Kenneth James and Clara Ruth (Dutcher) Sughroue. He passed away on September 29, 2020 at his home in Hay Springs, NE. He was 69 years old.
Pat grew up in Holdrege, NE and graduated from Holdrege High School in 1969. He made many lifelong friends with whom he rode bikes, hunted and fished, and played baseball. His Grandma Esther Sughroue instilled in him a love of gardening that continued throughout his life. He took excellent care of his 4-H animals and participated in FFA.
Always an outdoorsman, Pat pursued jobs that let him be out in the elements. He cut timber in Wyoming for several years in the 1970s. He worked for his dad's company, Industrial Pipe Lines, pre-watering interstate highway construction areas in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Arizona, making sure that water flowed 24 hours a day 7 days a week at each job site. He worked on the family ranch for several years before returning to the University of Nebraska to complete his bachelor's degree in horticulture in 1988.
His degree emphasis in turfgrass management led to a 25-year career on golf courses in Nebraska, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming. He especially loved the construction aspects of the golf course superintendent's job, and derived great satisfaction from rehabbing courses that had fallen onto hard times. He was a pro at installing and fixing irrigation systems, building and rehabbing bunkers, growing new grass, and operating all the equipment required to keep his courses beautiful havens of peace and green for the golfers who played there - including Pat himself. He loved mentoring the young people who worked on courses with him and derived much satisfaction when they went on to careers in course management.
Pat married Tomi Schneider Eirich in 1989, gaining his beloved daughter Sarah Elizabeth and welcoming daughter Erin Rebecka in 1992. Pat's girls accompanied him on several job moves before they settled in southwest Kansas to be closer to family in Nebraska. The Sughroues took family trips around the country, many involving camping and fishing and building great memories. One of Pat's greatest joys was helping Sarah and Erin with their 4-H animals.
Pat married Sally Mann Jourdan on February 18, 2011. After Sally retired in 2012, she and Pat spent many happy months each year living in their little old 5th wheel. They spent the summers of 2012 and 2013 in Boulder, WY while Pat was superintendent at Rendezvous Meadows Golf Course in Pinedale. Winters found them at Ancient Oaks RV Park in Rockport, TX where they enjoyed activities with the many friends who returned each year from across the US and Canada. Pat loved fishing from the pier at Goose Island State Park and the Port Aransas Jetty most, but also enjoyed some deep-sea fishing outings and some attempts at surf-fishing. He didn't mind cleaning fish and was always happy to share what he caught with others. He always said that being the guide was almost more fun than being the fisherman - he loved to share his knowledge and love of fishing and hunting with others and was always ready with the net to help another land a fish.
The arrival of spring meant putting in a garden at home. Pat spent happy hours every day tending his plants. He taught Sally to can produce and he shared hundreds of pounds of vegetables every year with friends and with Sharing & Caring Neighbors to be enjoyed by clients.
Pat was never without a good Labrador or two. He loved by turn Jake, Jet, Jenny, Jack, Ginger and Jillie, and recently welcomed puppy Azra Rose. His dogs went with him to fishing spots and hunting camps throughout Pat's life. Watching his dogs run through plum thickets to flush pheasants and then retrieve them brought him great joy.
Pat was a lifelong Husker fan and a huge baseball fan. He and Sally enjoyed trips to Denver to take in a couple or three Colorado Rockies games each summer. Most years they made a trip to Thermopolis, WY or Hot Sulphur Springs, CO to soak in the hot water, which was one of Pat's favorite things to do. He was an avid reader and always had a stack of library books at the ready. He looked forward to his annual deer hunting trips at KJ River Ranch, his mom's house - a tradition that he and longtime friend Al Hohlfeld kept up for decades. Pat kept the freezer full of venison and fish to enjoy throughout the year.
Pat is survived by his wife, Sally, of Hay Springs; daughter Sarah of Spearville, KS; daughter Erin and her fiance Derick Hinch and granddaughter Quinn Laurel of Candor, NY; mother Ruth Sughroue of Indianola, NE; brother Mike and wife Gail Sughroue of Kearney, NE; brother Tim and wife Nance Sughroue of McCook, NE; sister Becky Nelson of Loomis, NE; sister Angie and husband Pat Ridings of Marietta, GA; and brother Dennis Sughroue of Indianola; nieces and nephews to whom he was sometimes "Uncle Grumpy"; great-nieces and nephews to whom he was "Fishin' Pat"; and aunts, uncles and cousins with whom he passed many happy days.
Pat was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth, grandparents Clarence and Esther Sughroue and Austin and Minnie Dutcher, and niece Courtney Massoudi.
A celebration of Pat's life well-lived will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 1:00 PM at the Indianola Community Hall.
Pat's inclination was always to work locally. Those who wish to remember him with gifts to his favorite organizations - LightShine Canine: A Rez Dog Rescue in Pine Ridge, SD and Sharing & Caring Neighbors in Hay Springs - may make checks payable to the organization and send to Sally Sughroue, PO Box 502, Hay Springs, NE 69347 to be forwarded.