Steve Hagel, 55

Steve Hagel died Thursday, Oct. 3, 2007, in Kalispell. Death was caused by a congenital heart valve abnormality resulting in an aorta dissection. At his death, Steve was an adjunct instructor of stone setting at Flathead Valley Community College and a home health care giver with A Full Life Agency and Consumer Direct Services.

Steve began and ended his odyssey in Kalispell. He was born in Kalispell General Hospital Aug. 27, 1952. He grew up and attended primary schools around the world with his parents who were in Foreign Service. He graduated high school from the Culver Military Academy, Culver, Ind., in 1970.

He began his love of rocks and gems in his teens and started jewelry making at a class at a U.S. military base officers club in Taipei, Taiwan.

Following school, Steve met Janet Beckelhimer in Ohio in 1972. They were married June 20, 1980, and lived in the Philadelphia area.

Because of their love of Montana and the Flathead Valley, they moved to Kalispell in 1981, where Steve made his home the remainder of his life. He and Janet were among the founding board members of the Flathead Food Bank.

Steve worked at various jewelers in Philadelphia and Montana as an extremely talented designer and fabricator, including several years at Keenan Jewelry in Kalispell.

He always loved the woods … and especially huckleberrying. He also loved music and played the guitar for many years.

Steve was preceded in death by his grandparents, Fred and Winona Hagel, and Perry and Luella Melton. Both couples were Kalispell residents for many years.

Survivors include his mother, Pat Melton Hagel; his father, Fred C. Hagel; his sister, Cynthia Myers; his former wife, Janet B. Hagel; and a large extended family in both the Melton and Hagel family trees.

Steve also briefly left behind his beloved cat Romeo, "who has since joined him."

A casual celebration of Steve's life will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, in the Flathead Valley Community College new Arts and Technology Building, Large Meeting Room. Steve's family welcomes everyone to share memories, have a bite to eat, see pictures of Steve's life and listen to his favorite music. The room has a lovely view of the Flathead Mountains … which Steve loved and where he spent so much time roaming, rock hounding and huckleberrying.

A private family cemetery gathering and interment will be held later in the week.

Contributions anyone wishes to make in Steve's memory can be sent to the Perry and Luella Melton and Stephen F. Hagel Memorial Scholarship Fund at Flathead Valley Community College Foundation, 777 Grandview Drive, Kalispell, MT 59901.

This paid obituary is being run again at the request of the family.