We are deeply saddened to share with the community the news of the passing of Jack Eagon. Below is a message from his children.
“My brothers Lenny, Chris, and I would like to share the sad news that our dad, Prof. Jack Eagon, passed away on May 20, 2021. After our mother died three years ago, dad was heartbroken, but we were all impressed with how well he kept things together, as he continued to live independently in Florida. Our father traveled quite a bit to visit family and to work on a math research project at Duke. He did develop a heart problem that gradually affected his ability to walk and so a year and a half ago, he underwent surgery at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Unfortunately, there were numerous complications and hurdles that ensued. He overcame many of these problems with remarkable resilience and maintained his intellect and sense of humor throughout his effort to recover. His ability to communicate verbally and via email and text were limited and with the pandemic restrictions on visitation, it was very challenging for him to keep people up to date on his progress. Due to covid, family visits were strictly limited for over seven months to waving through a window and communicating using an intercom system. At least he could hear our voices, and we kept him up to date on his emails and world events, including the results of the 2020 election. He did have some very happy moments, including the birth of his second great grandchild at the same hospital where he was a patient and celebrating his 89th birthday on Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) three weeks ago. In the end, he was comfortable and family were at his side when he passed. Now he is at peace with our mom, his beloved Diana.
As you know, Jack Eagon was a very social guy. He loved human interaction and very much appreciated the love and friendship you shared with him during his life. Please feel free to share with us a memory or two that you have of our father. We include a link to the Bopp Chapel website obituary for him. We are planning to have a life celebration later this fall near the University of Minnesota, hopefully in conjunction with the school’s annual emeritus faculty luncheon. We will also hold a memorial service in early November for dad near his home at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Venice, Florida. We will follow-up when dates are known, with safety for all our primary concern. Any thoughts you wish to share would be very appreciated by us, as we remember the life of this wonderful man. You may leave memories or photos on our dad’s webpage at the Bopp Chapel site below.
Bopp Chapel Website: https://www.boppchapel.com/
Sincerely,
Mark, Chris, and Lenny Eagon”