William "Bill" Bagley, Jr.

“In Loving Memory of William Mark Bagley, Jr., March 31, 1959 – May 4, 2024

William “Bill” Bagley, Jr., devoted son, grandson, nephew, brother, husband, and father, passed away quietly at home in Bellflower, CA. Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Bill touched countless lives through his unwavering character and larger-than-life personality. Bill loved to connect with people, considering no one a stranger, and cherished communication in all forms: in-person, by phone, and through various other mediums. He knew many and many knew him, “large in life and larger in heaven”.

Bill is survived by his wife Vickie (née Hernandez), children, Matthew (Genevieve), Madilyn, and Jacob. Sisters, Catherine “Katie”, Margaret “Meg” (Mauricio) Sabini, and Anne “Annie”; sister-in-law Christine (née Holbus), Uncle Patrick (Maria) Heffernan, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins around the country. He is preceded in death by his parents, William and Sharon Bagley, maternal grandparents, Carroll Heffernan, and Wanoma and Donald Mattson and paternal grandparents, Daniel and Catherine Bagley.

Upon this writing, Bill’s brother Patrick passed away May 5, 2024.

Biography

Bill spent the 1st year of his life in Plainfield, NJ before the family relocated back to the west coast. Settling down in Sacramento, CA, his parents added four more children to their little family of three. He attended St. John the Evangelist Catholic School and Jesuit High School (‘77), in Carmichael, CA. Bill attended The University of Santa Clara (‘81), in Santa Clara, CA and graduated with a Baccalaureate degree of Arts with a major in history.

After completing university, Bill served in the United States Marine Corps and quickly moved up to the final rank of Captain. During his active duty, he was fortunate enough to enjoy over-seas posts in Germany and Norway in northern Europe, before reducing his full-time status to reservist and enjoying service in locations like Hawaii and Tahoe. After completing a six-month state-side deployment for Desert Storm, Bill decided to accept the honorable discharge from reservist status (‘95) for that of full-time U.S. citizen.

After active-duty life, Bill relocated to Southern California where he was employed by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, a major American aerospace manufacturer in Long Beach. A short time later, during the restructuring of the aerospace industry, Bill was fortunate enough to find employment with the Toyota Auto Body Corporation (TABC) in Paramount as a purchasing officer, where he stayed for 20-years. After a much-needed break from the aviation and automotive industries, Bill became self-employed and ventured into a few part-time endeavors to maintain and hone certain people skills: communication, communication!

In 1987, Bill met his wife, Vickie, at a Lakewood dance club. After dating for three years, Bill and Vickie married in August 1990. Their union included Matthew (‘86), Madilyn (‘97) and Jacob (‘99). Bill fully embraced fatherhood and looked forward to right-of-passage events such as baptisms, first communions, and confirmations and relished the chance to embark on family holidays, like camping and RVing. He was also ever-present in the daily activities of his children, attending scout meetings and the fiercely competitive “pine-wood derbies”, coaching baseball teams, and running booths at school festivals. His large personality was especially felt at high school theater and sporting events: including Madilyn’s water polo and swimming seasons and Matthew’s numerous productions during their respective years at St. Joseph and St. John Bosco High Schools. Likewise, during Jacob’s elementary years, Bill often volunteered for the school’s reading classes, never wavering in supporting Jacob with anything he needed. And while over the years the Bagley family had many pets of various species and Bill loved them all, he formed a special kinship with the little terrier, Buffy. Buffy was tiny (about 15 lbs.), but she loved and guarded Bill as if she were a pit-bull for all her days.

“Bill’s kindness and generosity will forever resonate in our hearts; his spirit will forever live on in the memories of those whose lives he touched.”

In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Catholic Relief Services.   support.crs.org

Southern California Services, please contact the Bagley Family - vhbagley@gmail.com

Sacramento Services posted below

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401