The Rev. M. Johnson Hagood II passed away in Vero Beach on December 20, 2021. Born in Durham, NC in 1936 to COL M. Johnson and Ann Heyward Hagood, he was raised in Wake Forest and Chapel Hill, NC and Arlington and Falls Church, VA where he learned responsibility by raising chickens and tending a large vegetable garden. He graduated from high school in Tokyo, Japan.
John was a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Citadel, Class of 1958. While still a Cadet, he participated in the Army Flight Program, but knew he was meant for something more. He was commissioned as an Infantry officer and completed Parachute and Ranger training before being assigned to the 82d Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg. Having grown up with a strong love for the Episcopal Church, it became clear he needed to follow a calling to the ministry. He went on to attend Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA.
During Seminary he met and married Betty King Linton of Washington, DC, who was to stand by his side through a 50-year ministry and who predeceased him in 2016. Upon graduation, he was assigned to Zion Church, Washington, NC and St. Thomas in nearby Bath before returning to the Army as a Chaplain in 1964. He was stationed at Ft. Campbell, KY, in Vietnam, at West Point, in Korea and again at Ft. Bragg, including two years with the Special Forces (Green Berets) before retiring from Ft. Lee, VA in 1982. While on active duty, he earned Master’s Degrees in Guidance and Counseling from LIU and in Psychology from Pepperdine while attending the American Institute of Marriage and Family Counseling in Hollywood, CA. He also graduated from the Command and General Staff College and was a Certified Instructor in Parent Effectiveness Training and Myers-Briggs Personality Types.
Upon retirement from the Army, John served for 22 years as Rector of St. Peter’s -by-the Sea in Swansboro, NC where he retired for the second time and followed his two sons to Florida. But he was not ready for retirement, so he served Holy Faith, Port St. Luce for four years and St. Augustine’s, Vero Beach for another five years. He settled in at Indian River Estates, Vero Beach to play Bridge (458 points), fish for Bass (827 catches), and watch Grandson Bayne’s soccer games.
John thought of himself as an open-minded seeker and a follower of Jesus’ teachings. He greatly valued verbal communication and developing relationships. His Mom raised him to be a gentleman – yet he was a persistent person. He asked that his children and grandchildren honor his memory by living their lives to the fullest and pursuing their dreams.
He is survived by his son Johnson (Dana) of Vero Beach; daughter Cindy (Bruce) Andersen of Dunwoody, GA; son Tommy (Erin) of Oviedo; grandchildren Jessica (Xavier), Alex (Parker), Matthew, Bayne, Allison, and Kaitlyn; sister Carolyn Fay of Winston Salem, NC; and his dear wife, Shirley Dennis, who filled his later years with love and enjoyment.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church, Vero Beach. Services are scheduled for St. Augustine’s on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at 11:00am. Arrangements by Strunk Funeral Home.
DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THE MEMORIAL SERVICES ON JANUARY 8, 2022 FOR REV. M. JOHNSON HAGOOD II HAVE BEEN POSTPONED.
Posted in: Strunk Funeral Home
Posted on: 2022-01-06
Link to original obituary: https://www.strunkfuneralhome.com/obituary/reverend-monroe-hagood-ii