Michael (Mike) Leonard Bagley
Services for Michael Leonard Bagley, 70, a longtime resident, have been scheduled 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at Sitka Lutheran Church.
A reception will be held afterward downstairs at the church.
Mike died March 6, 2020, in Sitka.
He was born in Ross, California, March 9, 1949, the son of Gail and Louise (Nelson) Bagley.
In 1951 when he was 2, his family moved to Sitka, traveling on the steamship Denali. He attended schools in Sitka and graduated from Sitka High in 1967.
His first summer job in high school was working with Joe Ashby at Sitka National Cemetery. He also worked at the Pioneers Home.
After graduation he attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks for one year. When the year ended he and a friend, Jack Panky, decided to travel to Hawaii, the Fiji Islands and Australia to avoid the military draft as long as possible. To help pay their way, they worked in a brewery, picked cotton and chopped cane. But while in Australia Mike was nearing his 21st birthday and learned he was eligible for the Australian draft. He returned to Sitka as soon as possible, deciding he’d rather serve with U.S. forces than Australian.
He was inducted June 1969 and served in the U.S. Army until March 1971. He completed basic training at Ft. Lewis, Washington, artillery training at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, and then shipped out to Vietnam. While in Vietnam he was with the 2nd Field Force. He received the Viet Nam Campaign Medal and an Army Commendation for Meritorious Conduct.
When he returned home he worked in the power house at Alaska Lumber and Pulp Mill until 1986. He worked for the Daily Sentinel as printer/pressman from 1987 until his retirement in 2014.
He married Cathy Montgomery July 1, 1972, and they had two children, Mark and Laura.
He was fond of the outdoors and gun collecting and spent much time hunting, fishing, boating and shooting at the gun ranges – he was an expert shot. He also accompanied Boy Scout troops on two 500-mile Yukon River canoe trips, and taught several Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops gun safety.
He was a member of Sitka Lutheran Church, NRA, Sitka Sportsman’s Association and the Sitka Elks Lodge.
Above all else, Mike loved family and friend gatherings.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, LeRoy Bagley.
He is survived by his wife Cathy, son Mark Bagley, and granddaughter Ellen, all of Sitka; daughter Laura (Bill) Mallula, grandson Bill (Nicole) Mallula, and great-grandsons Easton and Taron, all of Fairbanks; and brother Gary (Debbie) Bagley of Simpsonville, South Carolina.
He also is survived by many adored nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles – all of whom adored him – and the many friends he had made over the years.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a favorite charity or the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society at Box 2153, Sitka.
