John C. Eagon
February 02, 1925 - December 04, 2012
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John C. Eagon
February 02, 1925 - December 04, 2012
Obituary
John C. Eagon passed away Tuesday, December 4, 2012, in Bellingham. He was 87, born February 2, 1925, in Fremont, OH, to Clyde and Alma (Fissel) Eagon.
At the age of 14, John began his career in the funeral business by working with his father in the Eagon Mortuary in Fremont. After graduating from mortuary school in Cleveland, OH, he moved to Washington State where he managed funeral homes in Spokane and Yakima. In 1966 he then settled in Bellingham where he managed Jones Funeral Home and later Jones-Moles Funeral Chapel.
John was a member of the Bellingham Kiwanis Club, Elks Club, Executives Club, and Christ the Servant Lutheran Church.
John was preceded in death by Lois Eagon, his wife of 56 years, and his brother Dr. George Eagon.
He is survived by his wife Betty Seldal Eagon; children, Cindy and husband Jim Oberlander, Claudia and husband Rick Ackerman; grandchildren, Heather (Dave) Means, Holly (Ken) Wood, Heath Oberlander, John (Carol) Alwood, Mark (Chihiro) Alwood; sister-in-law Phyllis Eagon; step-children, Matthew (Cindy) Seldal, Kenneth ( Kimberly) Seldal, Terra (Mark) Wills; and their children, Jamie Bickmeier, Melanie Lewis, Balee Bailey, Julie Seldal, Brie Holt, Matthew Wills; 17 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
John was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and will be dearly missed.
Visitation will be Saturday and Sunday, December 8th and 9th, from Noon to 4 PM, at Moles Farewell Tributes – Bellingham. A celebration of Johns life will be Monday, December 10th, at 11 AM, at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 2600 Lakeway Drive in Bellingham, followed by an ice cream social. Memorials may be made to Whatcom Hospice House. Please share memories of John at www.farewelltributes.com
Moles Farewell Tributes-Bellingham
Farewell Tribute Information
Visitation will be Saturday and Sunday, December 8th and 9th, from Noon to 4 PM, at Moles Farewell Tributes – Bellingham. A celebration of Johns life will be Monday, December 10th, at 11 AM, at Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, 2600 Lakeway Drive in Bellingham, followed by an ice cream social. Donations Information
Memorials may be made to Whatcom Hospice House.
15 responses to John C. Eagon
Karen Brock-Sines says:
December 4, 2012
Claudia and family….My prayers go out to you. I lost my father Opie in July of this year. Dad was very fond of John. They had tea together with friends and held each other up in difficult times. If I can be of any help to you please pick up the phone and call. They are having a wonderful party up there with all of their friends that they have missed for so many years. Peace and Blessings to you my friends.
Babe Quintrall says:
December 4, 2012
I would like to send my condolences for Johns passing. I did not know him personally but it’s obvious that those who knew him loved him. I would like to share a couple of brief thoughts that have helped me in times like these. First in John 5:28,29 gives us the promise of a resurrection when it says “the hour is coming when all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out” and then in 1 Corinthians 15:26 it calls death an enemy and says that it will be brought to nothing. I hope that these two promises being you comfort during this difficult time. If you would like to learn more please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely B. Quintrall
Karen Klokkevold says:
December 4, 2012
I’ll always remember John fondly. The words of kindness and bits of wisdom he shared with me as I served as an apprentice funeral director were invaluable. He often stopped in the office and would offer me encouragement, which I always appreciated. And I loved hearing his stories and learning about all of the history he willingly shared with me. He had such a great wealth of knowledge that he was always willing to share with anyone who would take the time to sit down and listen. It was like taking a free history class…I always loved talking to John.
John and Betty lived about a 5 minute walk from me, and I always enjoyed seeing them with their mini schnauzer Sadie. And when we got our Great Pyrenees puppy about 6 years ago, John was driving down the street and he saw us and quickly pulled over and screeched to a halt! He jumped out of the car and came over to meet our new puppy. He had always wanted a pyrenees, so he thoroughly enjoyed watching Miles grow up into a fine , huge dog.
I’ll miss John’s great stories and seeing him around the neighborhood.
Rob Westford and family says:
December 4, 2012
“The calling of the funeral director is to be there when someone is in need. To be there no matter the time or conditions. To be there with words of comfort and concern. To be there to give quiet guidance through the storm. To be there for the final tribute that honors a life. There is no higher privilege.” – Doug Manning
John, thank you for your decades of service to Whatcom County families as a funeral director. You dedicated your entire life to serving others who had a death in the family. And now it is our time to remember, honor and thank you.
And to John’s family, we wish you well as you begin life without John. He will be greatly missed.
Rob Westford and family
Paul Elvig says:
December 4, 2012
A “Master” Funeral Director describes John Eagon best. He mastered all aspects of funeral directing and he took the time to train others in the process. John would not allow inappropriate language to be used in and around where the deceased might be. To John humor had its limits. Once while John was walking through the Herald’s office someone in the classified ad department jokingly commented aloud about the business John was in. Walking directly over to that person, John said in a kind way, but straight forward “if it was your mother that we cared for last night you wouldn’t be talking like that.” John respected people, he respected the dead. I had the privilege of addressing the US Senate Committee on Aging a dozen years ago on behalf of the “cemetery industry” when the subject of professional funeral directing came up. The face that came to mind and helped me form my thoughts was that of John Eagon. I have sat in management meetings and listened to John make the case for “doing it right.” Thank you John, thank you!