Patrick R. Haggerty

Patrick Robert Haggerty was born on August 12, 1946, in Rock Springs, Wyoming, just nine months after his father returned from World War II.

He graduated from Salmon Idaho High School, where his first job was at a local sawmill. During this time, he married Ruth Smith and welcomed his two daughters, Joi Olund and Jeri Mai (Chris Mai).

On a friend's recommendation, Pat took a position as a clerk at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site, marking the beginning of his career in Project Management.

After returning to Idaho in 1971 for a construction job, he married Nadine Nelson and had two sons, William and Patrick “Sean” Haggerty.

Around this period, he began traveling to Antarctica for six months each year to work with various engineering firms. While introducing women into the Antarctic workforce, he met his third wife, Terry Haught, and soon welcomed his fifth child, Cory Haggerty.

He also worked on testing and repairs in the Pacific Islands following nuclear testing. 

With the end of the Cold War, Dad embarked on a new adventure in Mexico City, working on security enhancements for the U.S. Embassy. It was there that he met and married Alejandra Santiago-Mendoza, with their final two children, Patrick and Alex, arriving shortly after.

Having survived numerous assassinations attempts in Mexico, he dedicated the next eight years to constructing various buildings and telescopes in Antarctica, eventually rising to Senior Executive until his fourth heart attack prevented him from returning to the field. Fortunately, a mountain was named in his honor, “Haggerty Hill,” which overlooks the McMurdo Station. Once again, he was “Lucky to Be Alive.”

While working on upgrades for the Pentagon, he chose to take care of his youngest children, Patrick and Alex, just in time to avoid being on-site during 9/11. This marked a significant turn in his life as he transitioned to a full-time government employee.

Dad applied for a Program Manager position at the National Science Foundation, and the HR Department made an exception to allow a rural Idaho kid without a college degree to pursue the role since usually you need multiple PhD’s to do so. He credits a member of the hiring committee who witnessed him cleverly convincing a senator to lend him a plane, which played a part in securing the job… Shh, that's a bit classified.

For the next twenty years, he fought in boardrooms, built telescopes, developed deep space facilities for moon and Mars missions, and managed the establishment of many long-range remote facilities. He collected ice cores from deep within Russia's Lake Elgygytgyn and often jested about climate change skeptics.

He was preceded in death by his parents William and Audrey, his older brother Ron, his younger sister Debbie, and one granddaughter Jordyn. He traversed all seven continents and is survived by seven children, 22 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, sisters Sherry and Diane...as well as an Antarctic Mountain.

It is impossible to overstate the impact Patrick Robert Haggerty had on this world and his family, who will continue to carry on his love for life and passion for learning. We were fortunate to have him with us for as long as we did. In his memory, we ask that you raise a glass of whiskey and coke to the Denver Broncos and remember our family motto, which reflects his life story: “Yer lucky to be alive.”

For those who wish to donate to a charity in his name, he was a fan of the Shriners and their Children’s Hospitals, donating often. (https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en)