Harvey Peter Hegg, 84, passed away on August 3rd, 2026, in the comfort of his own home, held in the loving arms of his son, Nick, and surrounded by the love of his entire family.
Born August 11, 1941, in Osseo, Wisconsin, to Sylvester Hegg and Sigrid Holman, Harvey—known to everyone as “Harv”—was a man who valued hard work and his family above all else. As a young man, he traveled out West, breaking down in Fort Benton, Mt where he met a local farmer named John Hankins and became a farmhand.
After that, he served briefly in the U.S. Navy as an engineman, returning to Montana, where he met and married Peggy Hankins. Over their 20 years together, they raised their three children—Pamela, Nick, and Damon—moving through Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Washington before he finally settled on his own ranch at the foot of Crown Butte in 1989.
What began as a small, abandoned homestead evolved through decades of hard work into a sanctuary for his four children and nine grandchildren. Ranch life was demanding—hauling water, fixing vehicles, and baling hay—but as he aged, he became the supervisor, ensuring Nick, Damon, and Pam didn’t screw it up.
Harvey was a painter by trade, a craft he mastered over a lifetime. He often joked with his grandchildren, “I have painted every Pizza Hut ceiling in this city at least once.” You never had to ask what he did for a living; you could tell by the permanent paint splatters that decorated him from head to toe—even his phone was never quite free of a fresh coat.
Harv taught his kids and grandkids through stories. He was a constant presence in their lives, whether he was traveling to help his son Damon during military deployments or rushing from the hospital to catch his grandkids’ baseball games. He raised his niece, LeeDa, as his own daughter, and she remained a core part of the family he built. He believed that the biggest accomplishment you will ever have in life is family, and he lived that every day.
Harvey’s home is a place where life is lived fully – filled with the sounds of intense cribbage games, the excitement of Green Bay Packers and the wisdom of an old man who taught through stories. He was an outdoorsman who loved hunting, prospecting for gold, and rockhounding. For Harvey, the best part of fishing wasn’t the catch; it was the conversation. He took great pride in teaching his grandchildren important lessons like how to fly fish and tie flies, passing down a legacy of patience and connection.
Harvey is survived by his children, Pamela Galford (Alan), Nicholas Hegg (Marianne), Damon Hegg (Gina), and LeeDa Willis (Andrew); his nine grandchildren, Ronin, Robert, Pamela, Zachary, Eric, Landon, Ben, Cooper, and Evelynn; and his brother, Dwight Hegg. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sylvester and Sigrid; his siblings, Sonja Rider, Nathan (Spud) Hegg, Gary Hegg, and Leafann York.
A visitation for family and friends will be held at Croxford Funeral Home on Monday, August 10th, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
