Larry Neal Hagler Obituary (1940

Larry Neal Hagler, 75, of Rolla, Kansas, passed away peacefully on May 15th, 2016. He was born September 6, 1940 in Amarillo, Texas, son of the late Laura Margaret (Thompson) Walker and Jake Hagler. Larry attended Dalhart, Texas, schools and could have taught an advanced course in living life to the fullest. Larry served in the United States Navy, stationed in Japan for two years, and had the tattoos and bawdy tales to show for it. He held various jobs and amusements throughout his life, always following his heart and his talents. He spent time working for the railroad, as a bar owner, as a guitar repairman, riding bulls in the rodeo, as a farmer, singing and playing the guitar, as head of maintenance at the Morton County Hospital, and as a carpenter. Larry had a knack for building; when his beloved wife Connie gave him a remodeling project, it always turned out beautifully, in part because they were such a great team he would do the construction, she would do the design and decoration. Whatever he created from wood, whether it was a bucking rocking horse, a crib that held not only his children but also his grandchildren, or a rustic console made from old, reclaimed barn wood, was nothing short of art. Fiercely stubborn with blue eyes full of mischief, Larry always had the funniest stories and he wouldnt hesitate to tell them to you again. The characters lucky enough to play a part in those stories were more to him than just friends; they were part of his chosen family. Larry had such love for his children that anything that was important to them people or places - became important to him too. Anyone who noticed his habit of wearing purple more than a decade after two of his children graduated from Kansas State University can attest to this fact. Larry is survived by his loving (and luckily for all of us, incredibly patient and tolerant) wife, Connie Hagler; his three children, William Bill Stichnoth, Ryan Hagler and his fiance, Rachel Felton; Amanda Mejia and her husband Jorge; step-children, Sean Grandy and his wife Kathy; Yvonne Grice and her husband Billy Jack; grandchildren, Isabel Stichnoth; Jeremiah Stichnoth; Jackson Hagler; step-grandchildren, Bode Grice and Tryan Grice; his sisters, Janet Lindemann and her husband William Bill; Janis Thompson; five nieces and nephews. Larry was preceded in death by a step-grandson, Richard Yorio, and by brother-in-law Mort Thompson. The family will hold a celebration of Larrys life in the near future and will notify friends and family when plans are set. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Childrens Hospital (www.stjude.org) or to Hospice Care of the Southwest (6600 Kilgore Drive #110, Amarillo, TX 79106) and may be left at Roberts Brothers Funeral Home, Box 745 Hooker, Oklahoma 73945.