Roland Nagel

Roland Nagel

Roland Frank Nagel, 93, of Kirksville, passed away Wednesday (August 6, 2014) at University Hospital in Columbia, MO.

The son of Arthur and Dena (Nieweg) Nagel, he was born December 10, 1920 in St. Charles County, MO. On July 15, 1943, in Kirksville he was united in marriage to Virginia Sue Warden.

Roland is survived by his wife of 71 years; two daughters, Susan Lynne Bell and husband Gary of Novinger and Lisa Marie Whitley and husband Pete of Quincy, IL; two grandchildren, Melissa Jerome and husband Kevin of St. Charles, MO and Brian Jackson and wife Marilyn of Peoria, AZ; three great grandchildren, Troy Jerome, Carissa Jackson and Alexis Jackson; one sister, Evelyn Toedebusch of St. Charles, MO; one brother, Robert W. Nagel of Warrenton, MO; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and three great grandchildren in infancy.

Roland graduated from Warrenton High School with the class of 1938. After hitchhiking to Kirksville with $85 in his shoe in 1939, Dr. Roland F. Nagel began what was to be a 35 year association with Kirksville State Teachers College (now Truman State University) from undergraduate days to his final position as the Division Head of Practical Arts. Dr. Nagel earned his BSE degree in 1942 at KSTC majoring in Industrial Arts with minors in Mathematics and Fine Arts. Immediately after graduation he served in the Eighth Air Corps in the European Theatre of Operations during WWII until Feb. 1946. Dr. Nagel returned to civilian life to teach at Muscatine Senior High School in Iowa and then took a job as Industrial Arts teacher at Kirksville Junior High. He completed his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Industrial Education in 1952, from the University of Missouri and accepted a position at Northwestern State College of Louisiana. Four years later, he left the “quaint” city of Natchitoches to take a position at KSTC. He established the graduate program in Industrial Education for the Division. Noting his successes, his peers recommended him as the new division head in 1968. He retired from this position in 1985.

He was a member of the Lions Club, Phi Delta Kappa, and the First Baptist Church. He was very active in his church where he served as Deacon for many years, was in the Chancel Choir, Senior Songsters and the hand bell choir. He was well known for the generosity of his time and talents, especially his many restoration projects around the church.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday (August 9, 2014) at the First Baptist Church with Reverend George Noble and Reverend Jason Marlin officiating. Entombment will be in Park View Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.

Visitation with the family will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday at the

Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home
2100 E. Shepherd Ave.
Kirksville, MO 63501 660-665-2233

Memorials are suggested to the First Baptist Church Music Fund or the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home.