Obituaries Archive

Obituaries » Dr. Allen Zagarell

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June 3, 1941 - September 10, 2019

In accordance with his wish no services are being held; instead, like Dr. Allen, please celebrate every moment life has to offer.

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Dearest Laura and Bianca and Grandchildren Sending you MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES! Allen was a Great Man and A VERY GOOD FRIEND! HE WILL DEFINETLY BE MISSED BY HIS FAMILY AND ALL WHO HAD THE PLEASURE OF KNOWING HIM! R.I.P. Allen

Posted by Robert V.Hartung on September 16, 2019

Dear Laura and Family, I so enjoyed having Allen as a colleague and, especially in recent years, Allen has been a lesson for me in how to embrace life with passion. He threw himself into everything he did and his enthusiasm was contagious. I recall he was one of the first to bring technology into teaching at WMU. He'd come to my office to tell me the wonders of three dimensional pictures of artifacts or virtual museum tours--on his way out to class--and then on the way back--just as enthusiastically -- complain about the lack of tech support in his classroom. He carried around his laptop, power cords, projectors--even screens --for what I thought of then as his "fringe" project. He was so far ahead of everyone else. Then he turned to studying Central Asia, learning Tajik, and forming a dedicated group of students and faculty interested in Central Asia. Allen had a knack for languages and two or three days a week the student lounge was transformed into a language lab. A few years later, Allen moved on to heading up the union -which he did with total absorption and then finally when he retired he took up nature photography. I walked with him last year--expecting a sedate meander down an easy lane. After all, he was 77 and had been sick . Within ten minutes we were off the trail, both if us sweating bullets and bushwhacking through the grass to a pond where he seemingly knew every bird by name. His walks filled his days with a new kind of wonder. That fellow from the Bronx taught himself yet another new trick. As a colleague, I knew I could always count on Allen to support me and I knew I could talk to him even when I thought he was wrong. Allen had a gift for living and he taught me a great deal. I am awfully grateful he was in my life. My deepest condolences to you for the loss of such a bright light.

Posted by Ann Miles on September 15, 2019