Anne Judkins Hager

Dr. Anne Peyton Judkins Hager, widow of the Rev. Dr. Richard Eugene Hager, died peacefully surrounded by her children on August 23, 2023, in Jacksonville, Florida, following a brief illness. She was 92.

Born in Bristol, Virginia, Anne was the second daughter of Edwin and Anne Judkins. A graduate of Virginia Intermont College and East Tennessee State University, Anne earned her Master's in Religious Education from the Presbyterian School of Christian Education and her Doctorate in Education from the University of Florida. On August 1, 1955, she married Gene Hager. During Gene's service in the Army Chaplaincy, Anne was a dedicated minister's wife, traveling with him to assignments at home and abroad.

When Gene retired from the Army, the couple came to Jacksonville, where they raised their six children and became involved in community life. Anne (known then as Dr. Hager) taught Language Arts at two public high schools and was an adjunct professor at the then-community college. She was a devoted member of Riverside Presbyterian Church, teaching Sunday school and serving as a Stephen Minister, a deacon, and an elder. In 1994, Anne was elected commissioner to the General Assembly of the PCUSA.

Anne also relished cultural and civic engagement. She volunteered as a docent at the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. She was a member of the Jacksonville Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. During her time with the Colonial Dames, she served as president of the Florida Society and as a national consultant for the Ancestor Bibliography Register, a project she conceived and implemented in Florida, which the National Society later adopted nationwide. Recognizing her work, the Florida Society elected Anne to the National Roll of Honor.

Additionally, Anne was a member of the Order of First Families of Virginia, the Jamestowne Society, and the Preston-Smithfield Foundation, which supports her ancestral home in Virginia, the historic Smithfield Plantation. Her favorite volunteer hours were spent at the Presbyterian Conference Center in Montreat, North Carolina, where the Hager family lived during summer.

Anne is survived by her children—David (Katherine), Peter (Julia), John (Sandra), Thomas, Anne-Ferrell Hager Tata (Robert), and Elizabeth Bacon (Peter)—as well as thirteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The Rev. Dr. John Ragsdale will officiate a family burial service at the Jacksonville National Cemetery before Anne's internment beside her beloved Gene. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgmandarin.com for the Hager family.