James E. Hager

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James E. Hager passed away peacefully on April 14, 2022, at Spirit Mountain Hospice surrounded by his loving family.

Jim was born to Charles E. and Lois N. Hager in Dayton, Ohio. The family attended St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. At age 4, while attending church service, Jim turned to his mother and asked, “where’s the magical music coming from?” His mother arranged for him to visit the console room to meet the organist who showed him the console and pipes. The seed was sown and Jim was hooked. Jim began organ lessons when he was a junior in high school.

At age 13, Jim and his family spent summers at the Hager cabin in the Bighorn Mountains. Jim’s love of Wyoming and its mountains drew him to the University of Wyoming. From 1960 to 1965, Jim studied the organ at UW under Gerhard Krapf, a Bach German Baroque organ master, and Arthur Birkby; and studied voice and choral music under George Gunn. A requirement of the organ department was that students had to learn to maintain and tune organs; from this experience Jim’s fascination with how the mechanics of the “beast worked.” Five years after graduation Jim built a home organ. He incorporated parts and pipes from an old theater organ into an 800-pipe organ that resides in the home’s music room. Jim was a lifelong member of AGO (American Guild of Organists).

Postgraduate work included attendance at a summer workshop in England, where he studied Anglican choral music under the direction of the American Chorister Guild, and two summers studying choral conducting and the performance of Bach under German conductor Helmuth Rilling at the University of Oregon. Jim also received a Master of Performing Arts in Education from Lesley College.

While in college Jim bought a harpsichord kit. During a summer break, he talked his brother Tom and father into joining him at the cabin to build the instrument. The harpsichord became an integral part of Jim’s music career. He was the harpsichordist for the Baroque Trio and played during church services.

Jim earned his B.A. in music from Laramie in 1965, and upon graduation he came to Cody where he was hired to teach music in Cody public schools. As music teacher, Jim spent 17 years at senior high school and 17 years at the elementary level.

Jim retired from the Cody public schools in 1998. He directed choirs and staged 15 musicals at Cody High School. He finished his career at Eastside Elementary, where he began the Cody Bell Choir. The handbell choir performed at many Cody events and throughout the state of Wyoming. 

For the past 57 years, Jim was organist, choir and handbell choir director at Christ Episcopal Church. As a composer, Jim has written or arranged hundreds of compositions for handbells, four sacred choral works, one Mass, a Christmas musical for children, five piano compositions, four organ works, and various festival hymn descants for brass instruments. During Covid, in 2021, he directed an all-diocesan virtual choir and produced a CD of Christmas carols that were shared with Episcopal churches in Diocese of Wyoming.

As music director and liturgist, Jim served alongside four rectors at Christ Church, was on the vestry and worship committee, and chaired the Memorial Garden committee.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents Charles E. Hager and Lois N. Hager; wife Delia Sandeen Hager; and sister Patricia Hager Wingard. 

Jim is survived by his wife of 20 years Jerry Laine Housel Hager; stepson Andrew Hogg (Shana), grandson Brian Hogg; brother Charles Thomas Hager (Trudi), nephews Andrew Parker Hager, Matthew Owen Parbery Hager; nephew Kenneth Wingard (Chelsea), grandnephews and grandniece Dekker, Brekken, Aisha; niece Shannon Wingard Murchison (Nick), and grandniece Kaylin.

Send memorials on Jim’s behalf to Christ Episcopal Church, PO Box 1718, Cody, WY 82414 or Cody Community Choir, c/o Arley George, 113 Lane 17, Cody, WY 82414.

Memorial services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church in Cody on Friday, May 13, 2022, at 10 a.m. Masks required for everyone in attendance, with masks available at the church entrance. Memories and condolences can be sent on Jim’s memorial page at www.BallardFH.com.

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