1940 - 2014
William Martin Hager served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Dunedin from December of 1988 until his retirement in 2002, where the Fellowship Hall has been dedicated in his honor. He was an active Rotarian and involved in numerous community service projects throughout the last twenty years. He passed away on January 29, 2014 at his home in Dunedin where he lived with his wife Lois Stover Hager, also a longtime Pinellas County resident.
Rev. Hager was born October 18, 1940 in Alton, Illinois. He spent his formative years in the Chicago area and in Springfield, Illinois. He attended Missouri Military Academy, Wooster College, and Millikin University. During his college years he was exposed to the civil rights movement through the Christian Leadership Conference and began to consider a career in the ministry. He also served as a college representative for Congressman Paul Simon.
Upon graduation from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Rev. Hager relocated to Texas where he served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Stephenville, TX and the First Presbyterian Church of Pampa, TX. In Pampa he was responsible for the development of Genesis House, a residential treatment center for juvenile offenders. For 16 years Rev. Hager served the St. Paul Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX whose membership was comprised of people from more than 40 countries. St. Paul's had a strong commitment to international justice and hosted the “base communities” for Salvadoran refugees led by Archbishop Oscar Romero and his disciples. In recognition of his leadership and community involvement during this period, Rev. Hager was honored as one of the Five Outstanding Texans Award by the Texas Jaycees. In 1996, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Bloomfield College in Bloomfield, NJ, also in recognition of his contribution to social justice causes.
After his retirement, Rev. Hager served as an interim pastor to congregations in Siesta Key, FL, Ft. Myers, FL, Las Vegas, NM, Washington, NC, and Wrightsville Beach, NC.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children Andrew Hager, of Houston, TX, Chris Hager of Austin, TX, Jennifer Wagner, of Austin, TX, Matthew Hager, of Los Angeles, CA, Paige Stover Hague, of Boston, MA, and David Stover, of Dunedin, FL, as well as seven grand-children. A Memorial Service will be held at First Presbyterian Church (455 Scotland St.) in Dunedin on February 7, at 3:00 P.M. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Morton Plant Mease Foundation, 1200 Druid Road South, Clearwater, Florida 33756. Please visit: www.mpmfoundation.org.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18