When his older brother couldn't attend the air races in Nevada, 22-year-old Michael Wogan went instead. He considered it a father-and-son vacation and excitedly promised to tell his siblings all about it when he returned home.
The Phoenix-area man who overcame a disability to earn a college degree and start his own Internet company was among the nine people killed at the Reno air show crash Friday.
His 56-year-old father, William Wogan, remained in serious condition Sunday in a Reno hospital. The Arizona Republic reported that the elder Wogan lost an eye and some fingers and suffered serious facial injuries.
A family spokesman said Michael Wogan, who had muscular dystrophy, was sitting with his father in an area for wheelchairs at the air show's VIP boxes — near where investigators say the World War II-era plane crashed. The exact cause of Michael Wogan's death hasn't been determined yet.
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"Michael liked to get out and travel, and he was so excited about getting on a plane as part of this trip," James Wogan, the youngest brother at age 19, said in a statement. "His motto in life was, "The only disability in life is a bad attitude."
"We celebrate Michael's life and, although we will miss him dearly, we have such peace and joy knowing that he is not suffering and now walks side-by-side with God," his mother, Anne Wogan, said in a statement.
She is no longer married to William Wogan and the family declined all interview requests Sunday.
The Republic said two of Wogan's three brothers also have muscular dystrophy, and the condition drew them close as they shared the same surgeries, doctors, and 24-hour caretakers.
"We liked all the same things. We did everything together. He was my best friend," James Wogan told the newspaper.
Michael Wogan was diagnosed at an early age with muscular dystrophy and was wheelchair bound his entire life. Despite his ailment, "he was about moving past that (disability) and always driven toward independence," James Wogan said.
The news of Michael Wogan's death came in a phone call Saturday at 12:30 a.m., but his brothers tried calling his cell phone for hours ever since they'd heard about the crash.
"Everybody please pray," one of the brothers wrote on Facebook.
The Scottsdale, Ariz., family was especially proud when Michael Wogan graduated in May magna cum laude with a degree in finance from Arizona State University.
The brothers recalled that their mother smiled and whispered to the other boys in wheelchairs, Billy, the oldest, and James that they could do this, too.
Family spokeswoman Tara La Bouff said Michael Wogan owned a web hosting company and was starting up a social media marketing company.
"He would have made it big ... but mostly he just wanted to be happy," James Wogan said. "I'm going to live my life as he could have lived his life. I'm going to do well."
