Reba Laverne Hemken Hagerup Obituary (1922 - 2018)

Reba Laverne Hemken Hagerup, 96, died of causes incident to age on June 1, 2018 at her home in Perry, UT. During the last 5 months of her life, Reba was able to remain in her home with the assistance of her live-in caregiver and constant companion, Ms. Brenda Burns. Reba was born January 4, 1922 in Walshville, IL, a daughter of Chris and Etna Curry Hemken. She graduated from high school in Litchfield, IL and went on to attend seminary at Northern Illinois Baptist Seminary near Chicago. During WWII, Reba worked as a secretary at Motorola in Chicago. It was there that she began her career as an educator teaching business classes to new employees. She met her husband of 51 years, Al Hagerup, while working at Motorola. They were married on May 23, 1953 and relocated to Baltimore, MD immediately after their wedding. Reba and Al spent most of the first 35 years of their marriage in Maryland. During that time they raised a family and Reba continued her education at the University of Maryland while pursuing a teaching career. Reba was an exceptional teacher who loved children and loved teaching. Her first experiences teaching in the Maryland public school system were with special needs students from kindergarten age to high school. Several years later she began teaching third grade at Glendale Elementary School where she remained until she retired in 1983. During her years at Glendale, she developed a program for gifted students. When the program was implemented, she and one team teacher taught 60 students from the third grade through sixth grade! In 1988, Reba and Al moved to Petersburg, IL to be closer the Reba's family. They remained in Petersburg until September of 2003 when they relocated again to Perry, UT to be close to their daughter's family. Reba is survived by her daughter, Sheila (Mike) Harper (Perry, UT), her grandsons, Jeremy (Rachael) Harper (Bend, OR) and Jason Harper (Post Falls, ID), and her great-grandson Winston Harper. The family wishes to extend heartfelt thanks to Dr. John Markeson and his staff for their compassionate care of Reba and to Ms. Brenda Burns for the loving care that she provided that enabled Reba to remain in her home during the final months of her life. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, June 13 at 11:30 A.M. at Myers Mortuary, 205 South First East, Brigham City, UT. A viewing will be held Tuesday, June 12 from 6 to 8 P.M. and again immediately prior to the funeral services on Wednesday from 10 A.M. to 11:15 A.M. at the mortuary. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Samaritan's Purse (1-800-528-1980) or a charity of your choice in Reba's memory. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.myers-mortuary.com. VisitationMyers Mortuary 205 South 100 East Brigham City, Utah 84302 June 12, 2018 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM ServiceMyers Mortuary 205 South 100 East Brigham City, Utah 84302 June 13, 2018 11:30 AM