John Hager, 88, Medford
John Hager, of Medford, passed away Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, at Homestead Hospice House.
John was born Aug. 5, 1934, north of Waterville, to Henry and Anna (Hollinger) Hager. He attended Medford Public Schools until he was needed to help at the family farm.
He was drafted into the United States Army in 1957, serving until 1959 at which time he was honorably discharged. He earned his GED in 1958 while in the service.
He married Shirley Conrath on Sept. 30, 1959, at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Deerfield. They raised three children: Mary Ann, Richard, and Michael.
John worked at Swift in Waseca, EF Johnson, Fahnnings in Waterville, Jostens, Medford Feed Mill, helped Don Morgan with farming operations, and OTC until retirement. John started snow removal part time while working at OTC. Eventually, this turned into a small business, Hager Snow removal, with the addition of lawn care. He proudly ran this business until his passing.
He was a member of the Medford Fire Department, Medford Civic Club, American Legion, was a board member for Salvation Army, trustee at Christ the King Church, board member for Resurrection Cemetery, and a member of the Medford Knights of Columbus. John was a founding member of the Grandfather’s Club. John was one of the main leaders that initiated the building of the Medford Veteran’s Memorial. He spent many hours researching, planning the project, and seeing it through to completion.
He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Shirley; daughter Mary Ann (Mike) Jensen, sons Richard (Laurie) Hager, Mike Hager (Coleen Zimmerman), brothers Dennis (Becky) Hager, Gene (Tena) Hager; sisters Rosanne (Wayne) Barbknecht, Sue (Don) Redman, Sandy Sutlief, Deb Halbleib, grandchildren Matt (Sadie) Jensen, Josh Jensen (Caitlin Schneider), Brad (Janice) Hager, Alyse (Rudy) Miller, Wes (Alyssa) Hager, Derrick (Caramie) Dempsy, and Chelsey Hager; 13 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by parents, Henry and Anna; brothers, David, Neil, Paul, Louis, Donnie; and sisters, Lucille, Mary Jean, Helen, and Loretta.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, at 11 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Medford. Friends may greet the family from 2-5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at Medford Funeral Home, with a Knights of Columbus Rosary at 5 p.m. Visitation will continue Monday from 10:00 – 10:50 a.m. at Medford Funeral Home, followed by a procession to the church. Burial will follow the mass at Resurrection Cemetery in Medford with military rites by the Steele County Funeral Unit.