Leaving a legacy: Family and friends reflect on life of John Hagest

Aug. 4—BORDEN — John Hagest Sr. was a man who didn't know a stranger, wore his heart on his sleeve, was a father and grandfather, a friend to all and so much more.

That's according to friends and family of Hagest, who died July 28 at the age of 60.

"He was a great man," said Beverly Hagest, John's wife of 37 years. "If he had extra lunch, and you didn't, he would share his lunch."

John Hagest served the town of Borden as vice president of the town council. He was also the president of Borden Tri-County Water Board and a member of the REMC Election & Credentials Board.

For 39 years he was an employee of Dan Cristiani Excavating and he worked on his family farm in his free time.

"John was a great guy, he'd do anything for anybody," said Paul Brewer, Borden Town Council president. "That was his nature, that's' the way he was raised and that's what he did. He would go out of his way to do things."

During a tornado in 2004, John Hagest called his boss for help to clean up the damage from the storm. He put the needs of Borden before his and started cleaning up damage from his neighbors and fellow residents.

A few days later when he and his crew met up to do more storm cleaning, he instructed the crew as to where they were going for the day.

"They said 'No, we're going to your house today,'" Beverly Hagest said. "Because he had put off patching up what we had damaged in order to help the town."

John Hagest has three children, two sons, John Hagest Jr. and Shawn Hagest, and one daughter, Amber Hagest, as well as two grandsons.

Growing up with him, John Hagest always made sure that his family was taken care of and had what they needed, Shawn Hagest said.

"He was a good one," he said.

John Hagest left a lasting impact on the Borden community due to his work for the town and the amount of people he helped there.

"His name will be brought up around here, for a long time to come," Brewer said. "People had a lot of respect for John because they knew what type of person he was and he wasn't one to tell you stuff that wasn't true."

During the visitation and funeral, people from all over Southern Indiana came to see John Hagest one last time.

He affected many people throughout his life, one of which is Charlie Smith, Sellersburg's town manager.

"I have met lots of local, state, and federally elected officials over my career. I can honestly say John was one of the most humble citizen servants I had ever met," Smith said. "His community and family should be proud of the legacy he leaves behind. My sincerest condolences go out to his wife, Beverly and the entire Hagest family, as well as those he served within the Borden community."

John Hagest was a man who would do anything and everything he could to help someone, even if he never met them before, his family members said.

"He was a very loving, caring man," Beverly Hagest said. "He cared about how people felt and he cared about what people needed and he wanted to make sure everybody had what they needed."