Zean Bagley

Pastor Zean W. “Doc” Bagley , age 78, of Birmingham, AL, left this earth and walked into the arms of Jesus on Sunday, March 24th. He had his “triumphal entry” to heaven on Palm Sunday! He was an awesome, much loved, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, mentor and friend. He leaves behind to cherish his memory; his wife of 34 years, Tish Keenan Bagley; daughters, DeRita Bagley Burke (Ron), and Beth Pharris Menke (Shawn); sons, Zean Bagley, Jeff (Becki) Bagley, Wes Pharris. Grandchildren, Joshua (Sahara) Burke, Jennifer Burke Vail (Chad), Benjamin Burke, Will Bagley, Daniel Bagley, Alisha Bagley, Zachery Bagley, Blake Menke, John Menke, Jessica Pharris and great-grandchildren, Marie, Claire, Cameron Vail and Ethan and Lux Burke; nephew Butch Bagley, nieces, Mary Verner, Sue-Ellen Bagley, Cathy Bagley, many great nieces and nephews, many other family members, his beloved dog, Sally and innumerable friends. He was born on March 2, 1935, in Fitzgerald, GA to W.N.( Bill) and Florrie Bagley. Zean was preceded in death by his parents and two older brothers; Bill, Jr. and Glenn. After high school, he joined the U.S. Army in 1955. He married Patricia Ashurst in 1956. Zean entered the Medical Corp. and served 20 years as a Medic, Nurse Specialist, and Chief Ward Master. He received many awards from the Army for meritorious service, including the Bronze Star in Viet Nam. He also received many Commendation citations and the Army Commendation Medal. It was during his work as a Combat Medic, Advanced Medical Specialist, that he became interested in Sports Medicine. There was no such title as Sports Medicine, at that time. Using his knowledge as Advanced Medical Specialist, he served as the “trainer” for the 3rd Army Basketball Team. After returning from Viet Nam, he was stationed at Ft. Rucker, Ala. He was then living in Enterprise, AL where he started a training program for Enterprise High School athletes. Zean retired as a Master Sergeant in 1975. He completed classes at Enterprise Junior College and Troy State University and worked at Gibson Hospital and Enterprise Medical Clinic for 2 years. He was a deacon at Open Door Baptist Church. In 1977, Zean moved to Birmingham, AL to become the Administrator of the Outpatient Clinic of Norwood Clinic. He became a member of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church. He later joined Trinity Methodist Church and taught the senior high Sunday school class. He married Tish Keenan Pharris in 1978. Zean became Administrator of the Internal MedicineDept.in Norwood Clinic. Zean also took classes at UAB, in Psychology, Health, and Sports Medicine. After completing his studies at U.A.B. in Sports Medicine, “Doc” was one of the first trainers to be licensed as a Certified Athletic Trainer, under the “Grandfather Clause”. Dr Larry Lemak has described him as a “forerunner of Health-South, a ‘legend’ in his own time”. He was an Athletic trainer for Birmingham-Southern College for 17 years, working with the basketball and baseball teams. “Doc” Bagley was with Birmingham-Southern College’s 1st National Championship basketball team in 1990 and was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame with the team. He was inducted into Birmingham-Southern’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. During that time he was also the volunteer athletic trainer for the Shades Valley High School football team. While helping at Shades Valley High School, he introduced an award called the “DOC” Award. It is for the player that most excels in all 3 areas, Spiritual, Mental and Physical. This award was originated by Zean at Enterprise High School. Zean received his Theology degree from Christian Life School of Theology, Beacon University. After retiring from Norwood Clinic in 1997, he became the Care Pastor of Liberty Church,blessing many lives for Jesus. He served there for 14 years, retiring in 2011. One of Zean’s passions was working with pre-marriage and married couples. Zean and Tish were part of the Lay Counseling team at Liberty Church and were active in Marriage Ministries International for 8 years, as City, State and Regional leaders. Zean had given his life to his Savior, Jesus Christ, and lived out Jesus’s command, ” to love God and love your neighbor as yourself”. His major passion was loving and taking care of people and he touched so many lives. He also enjoyed sports and was a life-long Auburn fan. He loved photography, golf, traveling, good food and spending time with family and friends. He was a great story-teller and also a very attentive listener. He will be greatly missed. Zean’s family would like to express their sincere appreciation for the good care he received from Galleria Woods Skilled Nursing unit and Hope Hopice. The Memorial service will be at Liberty Church, 2732 Old Rocky Ridge Rd., Birmingham, AL 35215, on Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 11 AM. His family will receive friends from 9 to 11 AM at the church. Burial will be at the Alabama National Veterans Cemetery, Hwy 119, Montevallo, AL at 1:15 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to Liberty Church, designated to missions and Sav-A-Life, or to Hope Hospice.