Photo by Ken Adams

Captain, My Captain: Richard H. Hagen

Sunday morning, September 6th, at about 5 a.m. we all lost someone special, someone who knew how to live, how to laugh uproariously, how to lead the way, how to love unflinchingly, and how to accept Life's challenges while challenging Life right back.

Richard Howard Hagen, son, father, grandfather, great grandfather, husband, uncle, great uncle, brother, my brother, protector of the weak, adopter of many of us lost causes just because he saw a spark in us, died today after losing the battle with cancer.

Richard, or Dick as we knew him in Jersey, was preceded by his son Rob his wife Laura, and his chihuahua Lupe, and he is survived by his wife April, stepsons Chance, Jeremy, and Anthony, his grandchildren Tyler and Shannon, his mother Jane, a bunch of brothers and sisters (Beth, Margo, Kate, Peter, Chris, Mike), and the almost innumerable rest of us who were impacted, affected, changed, made better, or made to think and laugh by him.

The world was a better place with Dick Hagen in it. If you don't believe me ask any of his lifelong posse from the MHS Class of '65; ask the brotherhood of rocketeers from the playa; ask his motorcycle pals and red and white buddies; ask the guys at the Italian Club; ask the crew at HSD or pretty much anyone he met.

He'd make you laugh, and he'd make you think. You could not meet Dick Hagen or Richard Hagen and walk away unchanged. And you'd be a little better than you were before you met him. You'd be a little smarter, a little funnier, a little bit more willing to look at things differently.

I cannot begin to express the gratitude I feel for having been given the gift of knowing Dick Hagen. I think my brothers and sisters feel the same. Always larger than life,

Dick was always in charge.

-Peter Hagen 

 

Archive of Richard's site RedglareRockets.com