On March 4th, 2020, a generation of Riverdale kids lost a father figure. Two generations of Riverdalians lost a coach. Mickey, Siobhan and Mary Kate lost their Dad.
John Francis Bagley passed away at the age of 72 surrounded by his family and joins his Parents John and Kathryn, and his sister Mary Ellen in eternal peace.
“Papa” as he was named by his grandchildren, was born on September 21, 1947 in New York and grew up in Washington Heights. He attended Incarnation Grammer School and Bishop DuBois High School. He excelled at baseball and football during these years and then graduated from Manhattan College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, before embarking on a 40-plus-year career at The Yonkers Board of Education.
Joe, the name everyone else called him, coached in the South Riverdale Baseball League for all three of his children and helped out on other teams after his children were finished, always willing to share his knowledge of the game he loved with anyone who would listen.
A voracious reader, he possessed the ability to retain and recall sports stats and names with ease. He was the neighborhood sports almanac, and fielded phone calls at all hours of the day from people looking to figure out the 1935 MLB MVP (It was Hank Greenburg from the Detroit Tigers). This was before cell phones and Google, so Joe Bagley was a breathing search engine.
Because of this, everyone around him sought his company and clamored for his sports knowledge and social commentary, whether it was at the grocery store or local saloon. Joe was at his best when he had an audience with which to share his views on life. He was and still is the central figure in every story from any event in which he participated.
In life, Papa leaves behind his children Mickey, Siobhan and Mary Kate. His niece and nephews, Kerry, John and Michael, his honorary nephew Brian Hanlon, the gang at Fenwick's and his friend for life and former wife, Tina White. His grandchildren, the fuel with which he pushed on when not feeling at his best, are Vincent, Sofia, John Francis, Sean and Olivia. His spirit will live on through the grandkids and will be passed along to the next generation.
It will always be Sunday fun day at your new clubhouse. Vaya Con Dios, Papa Joe.
Reposing Monday 7-9 pm and Tuesday 2-4 & 7-9 pm at Riverdale-on-Hudson Funeral Home, 6110 Riverdale Ave. Bronx, NY. Mass of Christian Burial Wednesday 10 am at St. Gabriel’s Church. Committal will be private.