Joseph “Joe” Nagy died peacefully at home December 19, 2016 surrounded by his loving family. He was born December 23, 1919 in Divernon, Illinois to Julius and Martha (Gyuling) Nagy. In 1937, Joe graduated from Divernon High School. After graduation, he continued to work at his father’s store and dance hall. Then through the early months of the war, heworked as a machine operator at an armaments plant in St. Louis.
Joe enlisted in the army September 7, 1943 and was assigned to Company M, 303rd Infantry, 97th Division. Having taken bookkeeping and typing in high school, he was assigned to company headquarters as a clerk, maintaining service records for his battalion. In Europe he served in Germany, Italy and France. His unit was one of the few to serve in both the European and Pacific theaters during WWII. As their ship sailed toward the orient in 1945, Japan surrendered. The unit then assisted with the occupation of Japan, and Joe was discharged January 10, 1946 at San Francisco, California.
During basic training at Camp Swift, near Smithville, Texas, Joe met the love of his life, Doris Jakobeit. They were married May 26, 1946 at Grace Lutheran Church, in Smithville, Texas, by Rev. J.W. Jackson. Shortly after the ceremony, the couple boarded a train and settled in Divernon. Producers Dairy, located in Springfield, Illinois, hired Joe to maintain their dairy equipment. He also continued to take correspondence courses in air-conditioning and refrigeration while receiving supervision and on- the-job training at the dairy.
In 1947, the family moved to Houston, Texas where Joe obtained employment at Jordan’s Refrigeration. A year later, he
left Jordan’s to establish his own company, Ace Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning, where Joe worked for himself until almost age ninety. Doris assisted by answering customer calls and taking over all the yard work, plus additional household chores, during the busy summer months. Some years after forming his company, Joe joined Rice University full-time in their refrigeration and AC maintenance department. He continued to service his own customers after regular work hours and on weekends. Always a tireless worker, Joe was known for the quality of his work and his high ethical standards. In honor of his service, a tree on the Rice campus bears a plaque inscribed with his name.
In retirement, Joe loved to garden and pamper his flowers. He enjoyed spoiling the flock of birds that gathered in his yard and could identify them visually and by their call. Observing and visiting with small children was a special delight that stayed with him until the end of his long life. Other hobbies and interests included fishing, playing dominoes, watching football, and attending dances.
Always ready to assist his family, friends, and neighbors, Joe was also generous in donating time to his church. The couple were active members for many years at Our Redeemer Lutheran, and then at Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church. Duties included serving as elder, Sunday school teacher, school board member, treasurer and sponsor for the youth Walther League. Along with the other members, Joe helped to construct the original sanctuary of Our Redeemer. At times he was asked to “take a look at” a problematic refrigerator or AC system at church.
Best of all, Joe was known for his quick wit and large repertoire of jokes. Everyone who knew him has their favorite Joe Nagy joke or saying. One family member shared that Joe once quipped at an anniversary party, “Doris and I have had only one argument over all these years . . . and it isn’t over yet.” Joe shared with daughter, Doreen, that when asked to write a sentence by his neurologist on a memory exam, he teased the practitioner by writing, “Help! How do I get rid of this guy?” And perhaps most touching of all, upon being told by his surgeon that he was not a surgical candidate to remove a malignant tumor, his reply was, “That’s OK, I’ve had a good long life, and I’m ready to go.” Then with a twinkle in his eye, Joe paused and added, “However, if a young, good looking woman comes along, I may reconsider my options.”
Survivors to mourn his passing and celebrate his “graduation” into heaven include his wife of 70 years, Doris Nagy; children, Doreen Brubaker and Sharon Nagy; granddaughter, Andrea Goodson; grandsons, Evan (Dawn) and Alan (Rene) Brubaker; great-granddaughters, Aidan and Katelyn Brubaker; former son-in-law, James Goodson; and brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Linda Jakobeit, Jimmy and Jean Jakobeit, Joyce Jakobeit, and Elizabeth Barry; and numerous nephews, nieces, neighbors, and friends.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Julius and Martha Nagy; brothers, Julius, Frank and Louis Nagy; sisters, Nellie Molnar and Margaret Root; son-in-law, Daniel Brubaker; mother-in-law, Julia Barry; and brother and sister-in-law, James and Mildred Taylor.
Click HERE to view Joseph Nagy's Memorial Slideshow.
Guest Book
Sign Guestbook