Gerald "Gerry" Anthony Rehagen

Gerald (Gerry) Anthony Rehagen, 85, passed away Saturday, September 21, 2024, at White Oaks, an assisted living facility in Lawton, Michigan.

Gerry was born November 10, 1938, in Jefferson City, Missouri, to Henry and Alma (Schulte) Rehagen. Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, alongside his five siblings, Gerry joined the seminary after high school, was ordained, and then served as a priest in Washington, Missouri and later at the state hospital in St. Louis.

It was at the state hospital where Gerry met Marirose (Donnellan), both serving the community through their faith. Gerry and Marirose wed on May 22, 1976. They had two children, David and Anne, before moving to Normal, Illinois in 1980 where they raised their family. It was in Bloomington-Normal where Gerry’s ordination was recognized and he became a Pastor in the Episcopal Church. He worked as a pastoral counselor and supply priest, serving other churches in the area as needed.

In 1999, Gerry and Marirose moved to Gaylord, Michigan. Gerry had retired from his counseling career and decided to work full-time in a parish again, this time as a pastor at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Gaylord. They lived there until 2015 when they moved south to Lawton, Michigan, to be closer to family.

Gerry was a passionate golfer and avid hunter, pursuing both hobbies from a young age into retirement. He also played soccer in school and would say that he joined the seminary so he could play on their soccer team. Surely his faith was also a factor in that decision. While in the seminary, he sang tenor in a barbershop quartet. In adulthood he enjoyed gardening, reading, and deepening his spiritual faith by learning and appreciating Native American rituals. But above all of his hobbies, he enjoyed spending time with his family and with people in the community. He was a dedicated husband and father, a reliable friend, and in his pastoral work would seek out those in need of companionship, especially the old, the infirmed, and anyone left alone by the rest of society. Gerry was the uncle that brought jokes to all the family gatherings, turned bright red when laughing with his twin brother, and performed Donald Duck impressions for his nieces and nephews. He built rabbit cages with Anne, coached David’s soccer team, rode bikes around Normal with the family after dinner, and was someone who would come home from work and bring his children to the swimming pool. Gerry also loved to cook. He made a mean chili and loved cucumbers and tomatoes, just like his mother.

Gerry is survived by his wife Marirose; his son, David, and his wife, Tamiko (Buckles) Rehagen of Mattawan, MI; his daughter, Anne, and her husband, Peter Emberson, of Suva, Fiji; his sisters Linda Tierney and Alice Lancaster; and four grandchildren, Kairan Rehagen, Akemi Rehagen, Moira Rehagen Emberson, and Sera Rehagen Emberson. He is also survived by many brothers- and sisters-in-law, nephews, and nieces.

Gerry was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Alma Rehagen, his brother Donald Rehagen, his twin brother Harold Rehagen, and his sister Rosemary Dunn.

Family and friends will be invited to celebrate his life at a memorial service that will be planned at a future date.

If you choose, please consider a donation in his memory to Senior Services of Van Buren County, Episcopal Relief and Development, or the Natural Resources Defense Council.