Barbara Gabis Hagerman

Born in Schenectady, New York January 25, 1935, Barbara died quietly surrounded by her family at the age of 80 at Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Center on February 7th, 2015. A doer, she filled her life with accomplishments while also living a full life with her husband, and raising, supporting, and greatly loving her four children and two grandchildren. A graduate of Wells College in Aurora, NY, she and her family moved to Tallahassee in 1973, where she served as southeastern regional representative for Wells for a period of four years. She was an avid gardener, a long-time rose propagation volunteer at Goodwood Plantation, and maintained a pressed flower art business with nationwide customers until her death. She worked for 28 years at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee where, among other things, she established it's initial computer lab, assisted in teaching special education students, and played a solo singing part in the student-produced presentation of the musical “Pippin” in 1994. She conducted swimming classes for “water babies” for over 20 years at Killarney Way Swim Club, and was a certified life guard until the age of 55. She swam with the dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys, was, a certified “Florida Outdoor Woman”, and for several years was a certified instructor at Woodland Hall Academy where she taught dyslexic children and adults how to read, with life-changing results. Barbara was also active for several years in fund-raising for WFSU, and was a full-time devoted wife, mother and grandmother with many life-long close friends here in Tallahassee. And even in the times when her health was failing, if you asked how she was doing, she would reply “ I'm doing well!” She is survived by her husband of 57 years, Maury Hagerman, by her three sons, Eric, Peter and Robert Hagerman, her daughter, Karen (Karey) Ortiz, and her beloved grandchildren , Jessica and Christian Ortiz.

A Rosary service in her memory will be held at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Tallahassee at 7:30 pm Thursday, February 12, followed by an informal reception. The mass will be celebrated at the church at 11:00 am on Friday, February 13, followed by a reception in the parish center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you choose to make a donation of funds, time, shelter, food, clothing or services to a needy person or organization that serves them. A donation to Good Shepherd Catholic Church designated for the “poor box” would be especially appropriate