Dr. Joseph Sloan Hales — surgeon, anesthesiologist, rancher, husband, father, and devoted servant of God — passed away peacefully on August 15, 2026, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, at the age of 87. Dr. Hales, or Sloan, lived a life so full of purpose that it seemed impossible to fit into one lifetime, and yet he managed it with the same quiet determination he brought to everything he did.

Sloan was born January 4, 1939, in Glendale, California. From his earliest years he showed leadership qualities that would define his life: he served as captain of his high school basketball team and, upon entering Brigham Young University, was elected Freshman Student Body President. At the age of 14, he wrote his life goals on a 3x5 card — including the years he intended to attend medical school, marry, and start a family. He carried that card with him for the rest of his life, a quiet testament to his belief that a life well-lived begins with defined goals.

In January 1959, Sloan set his studies aside to serve a three-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the South German Mission. He fell in love with the language and the people, and he never let go of either. He earned his degree in German from BYU — the fastest path, he reasoned, to his true calling: medicine. He went on to attend the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, beginning in 1962, and completed his surgical residency in San Diego.

In 1971, Sloan was drafted into the United States Army and served as a surgeon in Stuttgart, Germany, for three years, where his German proficiency served him well as he chose to live off base in a German community, enroll his daughters in German schools, and attend a German-speaking church as a family. There, his fellow soldiers took to calling him "Major Magic" — a nod to both his rank and the sleight-of-hand tricks he loved to perform. He kept his German alive long after leaving Germany, often speaking it with Anna Marie whenever he wanted to keep a secret from the children — a habit that amused and mildly exasperated his family in equal measure. He moved his family to Cheyenne, WY, in 1974 and worked as a surgeon until 1978. He then returned to the University of Colorado to train as an anesthesiologist, following his brother John's path. The shift, he said, would give him more time for the two things he loved most: his family and the Wyoming Hereford Ranch.

For the next 45 years, Sloan practiced anesthesia at what is now Cheyenne Regional Medical Center (formerly Memorial Hospital of Laramie County and United Medical Center), finally retiring in 2022 at the age of 83. He was sought after in Cheyenne as the man you wanted to put you to sleep or take away your pain — and for his youngest patients, he was the man who could make a coin disappear right before they drifted off, a small kindness that eased countless young hearts before surgery. He served as Chief of Staff at United Medical Center, sat on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, the BYU Medical Planning Committee, BYU Archival Recording Foundation, and the Warren Air Force Base Military Affairs Committee, and served several years as physician to the Laramie County Jail.

In 1983, Sloan and his beloved wife, Anna Marie, moved to the Wyoming Hereford Ranch, becoming the first owners in the ranch's history to actually live on the land — a distinction unmatched since the ranch's founding in 1883. Together they devoted themselves to preserving the oldest continuously registered livestock ranch in the nation, raising Hereford cattle, establishing an IBA (Important Birding Area), and safeguarding a piece of Wyoming history for the next generation.

Above all, Sloan was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, and his faith was the thread that ran through every chapter of his life. Beyond his mission, he served The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a bishop four separate times, in the Cheyenne Stake presidency, and as a sealer in the Fort Collins Temple from 2016 to 2025. He and Anna Marie taught Sunday School and Institute classes together for years.

Sloan was a gifted pianist and organist, and he and Anna Marie were known and loved for the piano and organ duets they played together through the years and the many House Music Events they hosted. He was also an enthusiastic amateur magician, a lover of Tabernacle Choir trivia, and a proud and passionate patriot. His love of country ran deep in his blood: he was a descendant of Mayflower passengers, one of whom went on to serve as Governor of Plymouth Colony for 30-plus years, and of later ancestors who fought for American independence in the Revolutionary War. Sloan carried that inheritance with quiet pride, and his devotion to the nation his forebears helped build was woven into how he lived every day. He was, above all, a man of unwavering integrity, deep kindness, and remarkable generosity — someone who dreamed big for himself and quietly encouraged everyone around him to do the same.

Sloan is survived by his wife of 63 years, Anna Marie Nielson Hales, and their children: Heidi (Michael) Staheli, Marisa (Jim) Crawford, Glenn (Carri) Hales, Patricia (Michael) Genho, and Natalie Hales, along with 19 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Angela Bird, who passed away in 2008.

Family and friends are invited to a visitation on Friday, August 21, from 5:00–7:00 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 309 Western Hills Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82009. A funeral service will be held Saturday, August 22, at 10:30 a.m. at the same location. A graveside service will be held at the Wyoming Hereford Ranch at 12:30 p.m.

The funeral service will be available via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/92174128432

Sloan touched more lives than any one family gathering could ever hold, and we know we won't have the chance to visit with everyone in person. If you have a story, photo, or memory of Sloan you'd like to share, we would be so grateful to receive it at SloanHalesMemories@gmail.com. Each one will be treasured and kept as part of his legacy