Andrew "Andy" Stephenson Bogle Sr.

As a lad growing up in South Shields, England — a coastal town at the mouth of the River Tyne with picturesque beaches, towering sea cliffs and a rich maritime history — Andy Bogle became an avid ship spotter who declared at age 13 that all he wanted was to go to sea. He spent every spare hour at Mill Dam near Middle Docks and kept detailed scrapbooks of ships entering and exiting the river — everything from common coal carriers to Royal Navy frigates. One of the greatest disappointments of his life came five years later when he was declined the opportunity to train as a Merchant Navy officer due to his less than perfect eyesight.

Andy died Thursday at his home in Bellingham, Washington. He was 75.

Andrew Stephenson Bogle Sr. was born on March 18, 1948 in South Shields. He discovered and trained for an alternative route to life at sea: working as a hydrographic surveyor since 1968, primarily for the offshore oil and gas industry. Andy received two higher education diplomas: the first in Navigation and Marine Sciences from South Shields Marine and Technical College; and, one year later, a second diploma in Land Survey and Setting-out Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic.

During his 50-year career, Andy travelled and worked extensively in Europe, West Africa and the Middle East, during which time he stayed for extended periods in Nigeria, Iran, Egypt, and Scotland. He never lost his passion for travel and loved the thrill of experiencing different cultures. Andy prided himself in having traveled to five continents and more than 40 countries.

He emigrated to the United States in 1982 and was naturalized as a citizen in 2005. After moving to the U.S., his career shifted to management and business development, and his days on the water came to an end. So tired was he of the sea, that he often joked that when he retired he would pick up an oar and walk inland until someone asked what that strange object was resting on his shoulder.

Andy’s professional career included establishing and managing Equipment and Technical Services (ETS), an equipment rental company in Houston, Texas, with a business partner, until its sale and his retirement in 2008; creating and managing the International LIDAR Mapping Forum; and establishing TMS International, a business development consulting service.

Prior to operating his U.S. businesses, Andy served as Manager of the LandStar Division of Racal Survey USA in Houston; Business Development Manager of John E. Chance & Associates in Lafayette, Louisiana; Operations Manager at Comap Geophysical in Houston; and Survey Manager at British Underwater Engineering in Leith, Scotland. In the early days of his career in the UK, Andy was Managing Director of Survey Services Offshore in Wallsend, England.

Andy was a strong believer in the importance of community and his volunteer activities were numerous. He was especially passionate about live theatre and served as a major benefactor and Past President of the Board at Unity Theatre in Brenham, Texas. Other volunteer activities included teaching English in Dharamshala, India, with Cross Cultural Solutions; serving as Chairman of the Adopt-a-School Committee; a Certified Youth Soccer Coach; an Advisory Board Member of Houston Achievement Place (HAP); a qualified Stephen’s Minister; and the “Top Hand” at Miracle Farm, a boy’s ranch and school in Brenham, Texas.

Andy was a self-taught guitar player from an early age who cherished singing to his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed a truly eclectic taste in music but had a passion for the harmonies and stories celebrated in English folk music. His passion for the music of North East England culminated when he inspired and co-produced the stage play, “Geordie, the Musical,” a theatre production that intertwined the culture and music of the North East in the 1890s. It was staged by The Customs House in his hometown of South Shields in 2015, and again the following year at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House in Newcastle.

His many creative interests and hobbies included a love of wood and fine woodworking, which led Andy to build beautiful furniture for his family’s use and pleasure, as well as selling several custom pieces through a gallery in Round Top, Texas. He also had a strong passion for the Northumbrian dialect and world history, especially the World Wars in which his Irish-born father and paternal grandfather served. At the time of his death, he was researching and nearing completion of a biography about the life and times of Richard Oliver Heslop, a Newcastle lexicologist, songwriter and business owner who was a central figure in his play “Geordie, the Musical.” Andy was the founder and creative force behind the Northumbrian Words Project (northumbrian-words.com), a website designed to help preserve the North East dialect and promote pride in its rich history. He was a member of the Northumberland Language Society, The Antiquities Society, and the Lit & Phil in Newcastle.

Andy is preceded in death by his mother Margaret (Besford) Bogle and his father Robert Bogle. He is survived by his sister Anne Sanderson of Bedlington, England. While in Egypt, he met his partner of 44 years, Margaret “Pegge” (Yatooma) Bogle. She survives him, as do his four sons Christopher Andrew Bogle (Anna), Jamie Alexander Bogle (Kathryn), both from an earlier marriage, and two sons with Pegge, his wife of 41 years: Andrew Stephenson Bogle Jr. (Claire) and Thomas Besford Bogle (Tess). While he never raised a daughter, Andy liked to say that his four sons brought him four lovely daughters, and eventually five granddaughters (Grace, Eleanor, Lucy, Sawyer and Emerson) and three grandsons (Zachary, Brodie and Wesley). All eight grandchildren gave him the greatest joy, allowing his humor and playfulness to shine. How many grandfathers take pride in teaching their grandchildren how to “properly throw a temper tantrum?”

During his one-year battle with metastatic prostate cancer, there was never a doubt in Andy’s mind that he had lived a full life. It was his express wish to have his ashes returned “hyem” to his beloved Northumberland, to the hilltop and river he most loved. Celebrations of life are being planned for Houston and South Shields in October of this year, the date and details to be announced in the coming weeks.