Marygene Fagan

On Friday, March 1, 2024, our beloved Nana, Marygene Fagan, passed from this world to the eternal afterlife. Marygene possessed a beautiful, left-brained soul. She was passionate about all of life's wonders, especially those that are best enjoyed without precise instructions: family, reading, writing, poetry, storytelling, traveling, cooking, all types of animals, and of course clothes.

Her adventurous spirit led her to the American West, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Central America. Marygene was equally at home in a spartan tent or a luxurious hotel. As an animal lover and world traveler she searched for gorillas, bears, birds, buffalo, elk, moose, and lions, among others. She adored her pets - dozens of cats and dogs - over her lifetime.

Marygene loved the beach. She dragged Jim to the beach whenever she could. For many years, they made Ocean City, New Jersey their Christmas home. In Ocean City, Marygene reveled in her favorite pastimes: cooking, decorating, and entertaining.

She volunteered voraciously as a drama teacher, director, and actress in numerous community productions and as the coach of high school gifted and talented teams competing for regional and national titles.

Marygene grew up in St. Marys, Kansas, graduated from Benedictine College, and later earned a master's degree from the University of Kansas. Among the many schools she blessed with her creativity were Leavenworth High School, Swift Creek Elementary in Chesterfield Virginia, and Seoul American High School in Seoul, South Korea. She was an avid reader, writer, and published poet.

Marygene is predeceased by her parents Maurice and Regina Coleman of St. Marys, Kansas, and her beloved husband LTC James F. Fagan, US Army Ret., and her many cherished aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is survived by sons of her first marriage, Brian Perry and Kevin Fagan, and their spouses, Debra Perry and Elizabeth Fagan. She is also survived by her treasured step-daughters, Heidi Fagan Anderson and Nicole Fagan Kimble, their spouses Todd Anderson and Shawn Kimble as well as grandchildren, Nicholas Perry, Michael Perry, Conor Fagan, Caitlin Fagan, Molly Fagan, Owen Fagan, Cameron Kimble and Courtney Kimble.

A celebration of Marygene’s remarkable life will be held in the late spring or early summer in New Jersey, where friends and loved ones may come together to honor and remember an extraordinary woman who touched the hearts of all who knew her. Though she may no longer walk beside us, her spirit will live on in the cherished memories we hold dear.

Rest in peace, dear Marygene. May your soul find eternal peace as you embark on your next great adventure.

In lieu of flowers, please do something kind for a stranger.