Our beloved Thomas Gerald Bagley passed away on Christmas Day, December 25th, 2017 surrounded by his entire family from Metastatic Melanoma. Tom, one of four children, was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on March 23, 1951 to Gerald (Jiggs) H. and June L. Bagley. He leaves a wife and eternal companion of 39 years, Julie Diane Rawlings Bagley; their six children: Thomas G. (Eliza) Bagley Jr., Brooke (Chad) Iverson, J. Benjamin (Rachel) Bagley, Sarah (Alan) Hogan, Megan (Jon) Moffitt, and Mary Katherine (David) Olson; 9 grandchildren; and his siblings: Martha Ann (W. Dee) Halverson, Paula (James) DeSpain, and Jolyn Mullin.
Tom leaves a lasting legacy of service, true devotion to his loving wife and family, and a strong testimony of the restored gospel of his Savior, Jesus Christ. He is now with Him and with his beloved mother and father, father-in-law Ben Rawlings, as well as his brother in-law and close friend, Tom Mullin, who preceded him in death.
Tom was raised in Holladay, Utah. He was a proud graduate of Olympus High School and then the University of Utah. He served an LDS Mission to Bolivia, an experience that he loved and talked about fondly throughout his life. During his time in Bolivia, he made eternal friends and created bonds that continue to this day. The crowning blessing of his life came on October 17, 1978, when he was sealed for time and all eternity to his greatest love Julie Diane Rawlings in the Salt Lake Temple.
Following his graduation from the University of Utah, Tom worked with his father, close friend, Richard Sorensen, and brothers-in-law James DeSpain and Dee Halverson, for many years in the partnership Bagley and Company. They developed many real estate projects together, including Garden Valley Estates, Hi-Country Estates, West Jordan Industrial Park, ExpoMart, Cattleman's Ranch, the Foothills, owned and managed the Canyon Racquet Club, and his favorite project, developing the Jeremy Ranch subdivision and golf course with Arnold Palmer. During this time they were also part owners of the Utah Jazz for a short period. Later, Tom, Jiggs, and Richard formed Falcon Management Group, Inc., a small business that sold various products, including a scholarship database, which is used in many high schools, colleges, and universities across the country. It was a perfect business for Tom, as not only did it provide for his family, but more importantly it allowed him to work with his family and close friend. It also gave him flexibility to devote time to his true passions: spending time with his family, serving in the LDS Church, playing golf and traveling. Lastly, he managed the start-up business incubator at the Miller Campus of Salt Lake Community College for a short time before his passing. Our eternal thanks goes to Beth Colosimo for believingin him and hiring him and to Jackie Jolly for making his job so much fun.
Tom was very active in church service and served in many leadership capacities throughout his life. He especially enjoyed working with young single adults, which he was able to do as Bishop of the Salt Lake Wasatch 2nd Singles Ward (perhaps his favorite calling) and, later, as a high councilor in the Salt Lake Wasatch Stake over that ward. He most recently served for nine years in the Salt Lake Wasatch Stake Presidency with his valued friends Pres. J. Ray Hicken and Pres. John Rich. He loved serving and truly valued the relationships he developed in the service of his Lord.
Beyond his church service, nothing gave Tom more joy in life than spending time with his wife and family. There has never been a more devoted husband than Tom was to his "Jums". He lived to serve her and wanted nothing more than her happiness. He cherished every second he was able to spend with her as well as his siblings, his in-laws, his children, their spouses, his grandchildren, and his friends. He especially loved playing golf with his sons, particularly at his favorite course, Jeremy Ranch; watching Hallmarks with his daughters (while having one of them scratch his back!); and traveling with his family ‚ especially to Maui, Hawaii; San Clemente, California; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
In Matthew, Chapter, 22, Jesus taught that the first great commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," and that "the second is like unto it ‚ to love thy neighbour as thyself." Tom showed us all how to follow these two great commandments, as it was evident throughout his life that Tom loved the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his mind, and that he loved his neighbor as himself. As a result, Tom was loved by all who knew him. His example of love, devotion, service, kindness, compassion, and charity will always be remembered. He truly was a man without guile.
While we are all devastated by this loss, we are strengthened by our knowledge that families are eternal and we know that if anyone lived a life worthy of such a great blessing, it was Tom. We can't wait to see him again and live together eternally as a family. We dedicate our lives to being worthy of this great blessing.
The family wishes to acknowledge their sincere love and gratitude to the many nurses, doctors, technicians, and countless others who treated him at Huntsman Cancer Institute with such kindness and compassion. We also want to thank the abundance of friends and family who supported us in every way during this difficult time.
Funeral services will be conducted at the Salt Lake Wasatch Stake Center, 8170 Short Hills Drive, Cottonwood Heights, on Saturday, December 30, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. Friends may visit with our family at the Stake Center location on Friday, December 29th, between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and before the service from 9:30 ‚ 10:30 a.m. Interment will take place in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Tom would be honored to have donations made in his name to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, 2000 Circle of Hope, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112.
