Willis N. Dager, 80 years old and a resident of New Haven, Indiana for the past four years and a former resident of Tillman, Indiana (rural Monroeville) for many years, passed away on Friday, March 12, 2010 in the Parkview Hospital located in Fort Wayne. He was born on Tuesday, July 16, 1929 in Allen County, Indiana the son of the late Floyd E. Dager and the late Edith I. (Dinger) Dager. He married Bertha R. Schmidt on September 16, 1950 in St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne. Willis was a graduate of Monroeville High School class of 1948 and he served his country in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Monroeville, Indiana and a sixty-year member of the I.O.O.F. Lodge in Fort Wayne, Indiana. One of his hobbies was chain saw sharpening and he was an avid NASCAR fan. Willis was a grinder machine operator at General Electric for 25 years, retiring in 1989. Surviving are his wife of 59 years, Bertha R. Dager of New Haven, daughter, Eveann (Rex) Hartman Werker of Fort Wayne, son, Jeffrey Dager of New Haven, daughter, Debra S. (Orville "J.R.") Smith of New Haven, brother, Duane E. (Rosemary) Dager of Monroeville, brother, Terry W. (Cathie) Dager of LaSelva Beach, California, six grandchildren; Angela (Quinn) Hartman Cunningham, Tisha (James) Dykes, Jessica Dager, Andrea Dager, Eric Smith & Bryanna Dager and three great-grandchildren; Rayleen, Brayden & Kira Dykes. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 17, 2010 in the Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home, Jacobs Chapel with Rev. William Smith officiating. Interment will follow in the I.O.O.F. Cemetery, New Haven. Friends will be received from 1:00 p.m. tp 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 16 in the Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home, Jacobs Chapel. There will be a I.O.O.F. Lodge service held at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the funeral home. Preferred memorials are to St. Mark's Lutheran Church, I.O.O.F Lodge Charities or Parkview Home Health & Hospice.
