Michael Joseph Bogese Jr.

Michael Joseph Bogese, Jr., 71, of Richmond, VA, President of Bogese, LC, died at his home Tuesday, April 24, 2018, surrounded by family. Mr. Bogese was the son of the late Michael J. and Gertrude (Trudy) Rivers Bogese, of Prince George, VA. He grew up in Prince George where he was active in Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. He attended Prince George High School where he participated in The American Legion’s Boys State and was active in sports including baseball, wrestling and football. He became an Army cadet at Virginia Tech and served as Second-in-Command of the Gregory Guard and Vice President of the Class of 1968. He was one of five top juniors to serve in the Color Guard. He was honored in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities and was a Distinguished Military Graduate. Upon graduation from Tech with a B.S. in Building Construction, he served in the U.S. Army where he did a tour of duty in South Korea, being awarded the Army Commendation Medal. He obtained the rank of First Lieutenant with the 2nd Infantry Division. After his Army service, he joined Bogese, Inc., the construction and development business founded by his parents in 1945, serving as a principal. He eventually moved the company to Richmond. In the early years of his career he focused on single-family residential development and construction, building over 3,000 homes. He later developed a number of retail and multifamily projects, including the award-winning Belvedere Apartments. With his parents and his brother David he developed the regional landfill in Sussex County, VA, one of the largest landfills in the country. He was a member and past president of both The Home Builders of Virginia and The Home Builders of Southside Virginia. He was honored as Outstanding Young Man by the Hopewell, VA, Jaycees and Realtor of the Year by the Southside Virginia Board of Realtors. The Hopewell Retail Merchants Association honored him as Businessman of the Year in 1987. He taught at the Virginia Builders Institute for five years and at the Virginia Graduate Realtor’s Institute for 10 years. He was a realtor for 42 years. Mr. Bogese was a member of the Client Advisory Council, U.S. Trust, Bank of America, the Board of Directors of the Historic Richmond Foundation and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. He was also a member of the National Association of Realtors, National Association of Home Builders, Urban Land Institute, the International Council of Shopping Centers and The Country Club of Virginia. He was involved with many charitable organizations including The Heart Fund, Kiwanis Club, United Way, The Massey Cancer Center, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Mr. Bogese was an active supporter of Virginia Tech and an avid fan of Hokie football. He was a Bronze Benefactor of the Virginia Tech Hokie Club, a member of the Ut Prosim Society, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Tech Foundation. He was a golfer and counted going to Scotland to play at St. Andrews as one of the high points of his golfing life. He loved to relax by the water, on the James River at his parents’ home in Prince George and at his home in Richmond, and at Sandbridge Beach where he owned a cottage for many years. His love of Va. Tech football was so great that he often traveled to away games and almost always to post-season bowl games. He was proud that his daughter Allyson followed in his footsteps by becoming a Virginia Tech grad. Besides his daughter Allyson and her husband Jay Ashcraft, of Richmond, VA, Mr. Bogese is survived by his other two children, Michael J. Bogese III, of New Haven, CT, and Jessica M. Bogese, of Pembroke, MA, his former wife of 48 years, Susie Bogese, of Richmond, VA, his siblings, Susan B. MacLaughlin, of Chester, VA, David R. Bogese, of Prince George, VA, Mary Ann Carter and her husband David, of Indianapolis, IN, Barbara Jean (B.J.) Patton and her husband Charles (Chuck), of Prince George, VA, and two grandchildren, Will and Annie Ashcraft, of Richmond, VA. A Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at St. James Catholic Church, 510 W. Poythress St., Hopewell, VA, 23860, on Friday, April 27th at 12:00 noon. Interment will follow at Merchants Hope Memorial Gardens, Prince George, VA. In lieu of flowers the family suggest memorial contributions be made to VA Tech Foundation, 902 Prices Fork Rd #140, Blacksburg, VA, 24060 or St. James Catholic Church. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com .