Richard Hager

Richard Arlin Hager, 68 of Hickory, passed away on Thursday, January 12, 2017 at home surrounded by family following a battle with kidney cancer.
Born April 22nd, 1948 in Catawba County, he was the son of the late Doris June Setzer Hager and Johnny Richard Hager.
Richard was a U.S. Army veteran and member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Hickory where he served in various roles on the church council.  He graduated from Newton Conover High School and received an Associate’s Degree in accounting from Catawba Valley Technical Institute.  He retired from Bumbargers after 44 years of service. He also worked part time with the Hickory Crawdads and for Jackson Hewitt.  Richard loved baseball and volunteered for many years with the St. Stephens Optimist Park. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his nephew, Shawn Hager.  Along with his faith, family meant everything to Richard.  He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Janis Huffman Hager of the home; two sons, Scott Hager of Hickory and Kevin Hager of Wallace; brother and sister in law, Pete and Treva Hager of Newton; and niece, Christy Hager of Conover.  He also had a dog, Molly, that he loved dearly. A memorial service will be held Sunday, January 15th at 3:00 PM at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Hickory.  The family will receive friends from 2 – 3:00 PM at the church prior to the service.
Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery in Hickory. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at stjude.org. Please sign the online guestbook at www.jenkinsfuneralhome.net. The Hager family has entrusted arrangements to Jenkins Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Newton 828-464-1555.