Frances L. Hagel

December 11, 2019

Hagel, Frances L., 94, of Cologne, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 11, 2019, surrounded by her family. Frances was born in Philadelphia to the late Conrad and Marian Will and raised in Egg Harbor City. She married the love of her life, Dom, and moved to Cologne where they raised their three children. They spent 63 beautiful years together until his passing in 2009. Since 1952, she served as the dedicated leader of her 4-H club, the Cologne Busy Bees. Throughout Frances' nearly seven decades as a 4-H leader, she was involved in many aspects of 4-H at the county, state, regional and national levels. She led hundreds of young people as "Queen Bee" and never lost her enthusiasm for teaching youth how to cook, sew, crochet and preserve food. She often said, "when you do something you love, you don't keep track of how long you've been doing it." Frances attended state and northeast regional leadership conferences. She was a camp counselor and bus driver for 4-H camps. She held many offices in both the leaders association and fair association over the years. Before her passing, Frances was the longest active club leader in the state of New Jersey. For her remarkable accomplishments, she was inducted into the National 4-H Hall of Fame in Chevy Chase, MD on October 11, 2019. In addition to her passion for 4-H, Frances was a school bus driver for many years, and after retiring, she focused on being a homemaker and caring for her grandchildren. Along with her husband Dom, Frances volunteered at the Atlantic City Medical Center for many years, with over 1600 hours to her credit. They also spent 26 years traveling to Okeechobee, Florida, during the winters, where they spent their time with friends and family. Her mantra was "you have to find purpose each day, focus on the positive and keep going" which served her well in her 94 years. Frances was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was loved and adored by all her family and friends, and will be deeply missed. She is predeceased by her husband, Dom; siblings Conrad "Buss" Will, Rosemarie Giercyk, and Ursula "Sella" Shows. Those left behind to treasure her memory are her children Bob (Evelyn) Hagel of Cologne, Marian Hagel of Bluffton, SC, and Dennis (Julie Onnembo) Hagel of Mt. Washington, KY; grandchildren, Bob (Jenn) Hagel, Katie Hagel, Debbie Barrett (Chad Nance), Mark Barrett, Amy (Jim) Waters, Dennis Hagel, and Trevor Hagel; great-grandchildren, Bobby, Emily, Michael, and Lindsey Hagel; Aidan, AnMei, Abby and MinXi Nance, Norah Waters, and Chase Hagel. Her beloved brother Billy (Elaine) Will, as well as many other special nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, December 18th from 5:00 to 8:00 PM and again on Thursday, December 19th from 8:30 to 10:15 AM at Wimberg Funeral Home, 400 Liverpool Ave, Egg Harbor City, 609-965-0357. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial which will be held at 11:00 AM at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 5021 Harding Highway, Mays Landing. Interment will immediately follow at Atlantic County Veterans Cemetery in Estell Manor. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Frances' memory to: Atlantic County 4-H Fair Association, Teaching Kitchen Fund, 430 4th Avenue, Egg Harbor City, NJ 08215. For condolences or directions, please visit wimbergfuneralhome.com.