Jay Merrill Bagley

Jay Merrill Bagley passed away in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday, November 15, 2019 at age 94.
Jay was born in Koosharem, Sevier County, Utah on October 14, 1925 to Edward Merrill and Ruby Olsen Bagley. He was born the middle child in a family of seven siblings: Elaine, Melva, Lowell, Jay, Lell, Carolyn and Fern.
Koosharem was settled by his great grandparents and his grandparents and Jay grew up with his grandparents just around the comer and many, many, loving aunts, uncles and cousins as he grew up. For Jay, this place was heaven, the place he loved and the place he hoped to spend all his days.
Jay's father worked hard and Jay and his siblings learned to work hard, too. There were chores before and after school. Family members shared responsibilities for growing gardens, hauling and chopping firewood, feeding chickens, feeding pigs, and feeding and milking cows.
Harvesting hay, tending sheep, and tending cattle were also common activities. Much of the summertime was spent "on the mountain" where sheep and cattle grazed on forest lands.
Jay attended elementary school in Koosharem and Ogden through the tenth grade, and then attended Richfield High School. Jay was, in his words, "not a goof off." He got good grades, enjoyed playing basketball and fell in love with a cute girl named Betty Whittenburg. He graduated in 1943.
Jay attended Utah State Agricultural College for his freshman year and then spent two years in the army in WWII. He spent a year in the Philippines and another year in Japan during the occupation.
Betty and Jay wrote to each other daily when he went to school and during his service, and they married as Jay completed his second year at the "AC."
Jay started studying a variety of agriculture topics and his interest in water lead him into Civil Engineering which his advisors felt would give him even more opportunities. Jay completed requirements for a Masters Degree in Irrigation and Drainage Engineering in 1952.
Jay's first job was with an irrigation equipment company designing and field testing equipment for wheel moving sprinkler systems. He traveled, sold, and advised dealers in the field in a six state region on special irrigation design problems. He also began preparing material for a sprinkler irrigation design manual.
In the fall of 1954 Jay was offered a position as an assistant professor in the Civil Engineering department at Utah State Agricultural College. At that time the college was working to develop a Utah Water Research Laboratory.
Returning to Logan, Jay and Betty purchased season tickets to Aggie Football and Basketball games. From that time on they always had season tickets to Aggie games. Jay was a loyal fan who never left until the game was over whether the Aggies were way ahead or far behind.
In 1956 Jay helped to design an irrigation system for a large plantation in Angola. After that time Jay did consulting work in Angola, the Belgian Congo, Senegal, Mauritania, Niger, Upper Volta, Mali, Gambia, and Vietnam.
In 1958 Jay received a National Science Foundation Fellowship to attend a Stanford University PhD. program Before leaving for Menlo Park, California, Jay and Betty and their children were sealed on July 11, 1958 in the Logan Temple.
A few years after returning from California, Jay and Betty purchased an eighty-year-old home in rural North Logan. Jay's dream of horses and a pasture for them was realized. A large garden and a tree nursery were also established.
In 1959 the Utah Legislature authorized the establishment of the Utah Water Research Laboratory funded by the state of Utah, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. The Water Lab was dedicated in 1965 and Jay became the second director in 1966.
In November 1987 Jay retired from Utah State University and spent the year in Washington D.C. with the Army Corps of Engineers. He and Betty loved that year visiting historical sites and frequently visiting son Dave's family who lived in Maryland at the time.
Back home in Logan, Jay continued to have an office at the Water Lab. He served in many capacities on local and state water-related groups advising on water issues.
Betty died on October 9, 2000.
In May of 2001 Jay married DeVonna Rindlisbacher. Together they enjoyed Aggie games, concerts, traveling, and other social activities. Jay enjoyed exercise and walking in the park close to his home. He continued to enjoy reading the newspapers and books, keeping up on the 10:00 P.M. news, and doing the crossword puzzles. He loved the noon concerts in the Logan Tabernacle in the summer and shoveling snow for neighbors in the winter.
As Jay's capacities diminished DeVonna became a devoted care giver. She helped Jay attend the many activities he loved so much. Without her love, Jay could not have stayed in his own home for so long. Jay's children are so grateful for the happiness and fun that DeVonna brought to his last years.
Survivors include Jay's widow, DeVonna Rindlisbacher Bagley; Jay's children: David Jay Bagley of Koosharem, UT, Margaret Meacham (Greg) of Idaho Falls, ID, Becky Malan (Lee) of Ogden, Jeanette Seidelman (Cid) of Park City, and Marilyn Kalbach of Salt Lake City; Jay's Grandchildren: Traci Anderson, Paul Meacham, Nathaniel Meacham, Matthew Hurst, Michael Meacham, Mitchell Hurst, Joshua Meacham, Taylor Meacham, Lauren Nelson, Anna Watson, Trevor Malan, Tyler Malan, David Bagley, Derek Kalbach and Stephen Bagley.
Jay was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Whittenburg Bagley, by all his brothers and sisters, and his parents.
Funeral services will be held at 12:00 PM on Friday, November 22, 2019 in the Dry Canyon Ward Chapel, 1350 Eastridge Circle in Logan, Utah, with Bishop Keith Larsen officiating. A viewing will be held prior to the services from 10:00 to 11:30 AM at the church. Burial will be at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 23, 2019 in the Koosharem Cemetery in Koosharem, Utah. Condolences may be shared with the family at www.allenmortuaries.com