Johnathan Lee Hagan
JOHNATHAN LEE HAGAN, 32, of Bland, VA, finished his earthly walk with the Lord on Tuesday, September 19, 2023. He was born June 17, 1991, in Bland, VA, the son of Lee and Kimberly Hagan.
He was an IT Support Coordinator for the Bland County School System. It was a job he loved with all his heart. It was evident by the smile on his face and his constant joking and bantering back and forth with teachers, staff, and students alike that he took immense joy in working alongside them daily. He looked forward to each new day, and whenever asked about not having children he would remark I have a whole school full of them, and he meant it.
His IT position led him to take on the role of Bland County Middle School Basketball Coach, along with an assisting position for the Varsity team. He was passionate about the game and his teams but wanted to build not just outstanding players but outstanding human beings. He felt sports allowed them the opportunity to be better individuals in seeking not just the fame of self but learning the joy of taking part in the success of all. He strived for them to encourage each other and become another layer in their support system. He wanted everyone to have the chance to shine and even went as far as to purchase all the warm-ups for his middle school team each year so that it was a level playing field. It concerned him that some might not have what others did. So, he eliminated their worry. No one had to be apprehensive about what they did or did not have to wear when attending games. They came in with their heads high dressed as a unit knowing each one mattered equally. He, his assistant coach, Brandon Speer, and his partner in crime the assistant athletics director, Kevin “Curly” Pauley, collaborated tirelessly with the booster parents to support Bland Boys Basketball. They made sure all players had a meal before and after each away game. If funds were lacking for anyone, Johnathan would secretly make sure each player had whatever they needed, expecting nothing in return. He kept a sharp eye out at both the school and the sports venue to make sure if there was a need it got fulfilled.
While he genuinely enjoyed basketball, his greatest love was for the job he held as one of the assistant ministers in his home church The Wilderness Lighthouse, Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of Bland. He fully embraced the belief his grandfather, Pastor Charles A. Clark, taught him that the measure of a man is not recognized in the duration of his life but in the donation he made to others. Whether as Elijah in Vacation Bible School, choir member and musician, a Sunday School Teacher, a comedy lead in the Christmas play, digging snow or chopping wood for the elderly, church renovations, a mentor and encouragement to the youth group, or teaching and praying with the members of his church, he felt you could never do enough for God and the upbuilding of his kingdom.
If you knew him as Johnathan, John, Johnny Lee, Hagan, Mr. Hagan, Coach, IT, Bobcat, or for two special little ones in his life, Uncle Doozy; he will greatly be missed for his outrageous humor, razor-sharp wit, infectious laugh, unconditional love, abundant joy, gentle support, and endless kindness that he gave to all he met. His favorite song talked of living with a love that never fails, loving my neighbor as I love myself, and giving until there is nothing left to give, living a faith that never dies until all that lives through me is God’s message; and he did until his last breath.
Johnathan was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Pastor Charles A. Clark, his paternal grandparents, WIlliam & Betty Burress Hagan and his uncle, Paul Hagan.
He will forever be loved and cherished by his parents, Lee & Kim Hagan of Bland, his maternal grandmother, Judy DeHart Clark of Bland, his brother and sister-in-law, Jared & Anna Frechette-Hagan, of Jackson Heights, NY, his nephew Miles Henry Frechette-Hagan, his niece Charlotte McGuire Frechette-Hagan, both of Jackson Heights, NY, his uncles and aunts, Ray & Kim Hagan of Baltimore, MD, Anthony & Staci Clark, of Durham, NC, Damon & Tina Clark of Leasburg, NC, Trish Clark of Wytheville, VA, his cousins, Shelia Hagan of Baltimore, MD, Ethan Clark of Raleigh, NC, Nathan Clark of Tempe AZ, Lyndsay Clark of Wytheville, VA, Brandon Sluss of Leasburg, NC and Trey Lee of Leasburg, NC, uncle/friend/confidant/fellow Steelers & Bland Bears fan/Pastor Duane & Brenda Bailey of Bland, VA, along with a multitude of great aunts, great uncles, cousins, church family, special friends, and neighbors.
Funeral services will be at the Bland High School Gym on Sunday, September 24th, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. with Pastor Duane Bailey officiating. A private burial will take place in the Clark Family Cemetery on a later date.
This service will be streamed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@WildernessLighthouse for those unable to attend.
The Hagan family would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you and appreciation to all those who have brought food, gifts, cards, visited, called, or texted an encouraging prayer or thought during our loss. You will never know how much your outpouring of kindness and love has meant to our healing in knowing how loved Johnathan truly was.
The Hagan family is in the care of A. Vest & Sons Funeral Home, White Gate, avestandsons.com, (540) 921-2985.
