Virgil T. Bagwell, 76, passed on Feb. 25, 2009, in Whidbey General Hospital, Coupeville, after a long illness. His memorial will be held at Sierra Country Club, 2685 San Juan St., Coupeville, on Saturday, March 7, at 1 p.m. The funeral will be in St. Louis, Mo., on March 28 with interment following in Looney Springs Cemetery, Campbell Hill, Ill.

He was born Sept. 19, 1932, in St. Louis, Missouri to Virgil Lee Bagwell and Mabel Beatman Bagwell. After graduating from Hadley Technical High School in St. Louis, he served as an Army medic during the Korean War. Following his honorable discharge from the Army, he attended St. Louis University, graduating in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering.

Mr. Bagwell worked more than 30 years at McDonnell Douglas, which is now the Boeing Company, in St. Louis. He started his career in plant engineering, was promoted to senior engineer, then retired as facilities engineer.

Within a year of his retirement in 1999, Virgil and Marge settled into historic Coupeville, which they had decided was the town of their dreams. Thirty-plus years of engineering expertise allowed him to make tough heavy-duty tasks seem easy when, during this next phase of his life, he was a vital behind-the-scenes volunteer for a variety of community projects, including the Penn Cove Mussel Festival (2000-2006) and Coupeville’s annual Memorial Day Parade.

He married Margaret (Marge) Mary Abbott at St. Louis on May 3, 1958. His wife looks forward to the continuation of many visits at her Coupeville home from their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife of 50 years; son and daughter-in-law Thomas and Pattie Bagwell and son Michael Bagwell, all of St. Louis; daughter and son-in-law Margaret and Charlie Calvert of Salem, Conn.; daughters Alice MacDonald of St. Louis, and Nancy Bagwell of Bellingham; brothers and sisters-in-law Jim and wife Betty Bagwell of St. Louis and Ted and Judi Bagwell of Baton Rouge, La.; and grandchildren Crystal and her husband Steve Cafiero, Stephen Calvert, David Eichholtz, Jacob Bagwell and Cordelia Rose.

In lieu of flowers or other remembrances, donations in Virgil’s name are suggested to St. Joseph Indian School, Chamberlain, S.D. 57326; St. Francis Mission, St. Francis, S.D. 57572-0149; or Critical Care Unit, Whidbey General Hospital, Coupeville, WA 98239.