Tag Archives: obituary

Family

Charles N. “Chuck” Sagan, 71

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Chuck & Phyllis
We lost a great man on Sunday. My brother-in-law’s father, Chuck Sagan, passed away suddenly as he and his wife and a large group of friends were returning from a holiday cruise in Ft. Lauderdale.

Chuck was such a sweet man – a classic Bostonian – and a true gentleman. I remember meeting him at my future father-in-law’s surprise 70th birthday party when I was just meeting the extended family I would eventually marry into, and loved him from that moment on. Talking Red Sox – or Patriots – or golf – Chuck had a thousand opinions on these topics! And the sense of family he represented to the Sagan clan was remarkable. Living in the same area as both his children – and his four grandchildren – Chuck had a tremendous impact on their lives in ways atypical in today’s culture.

I will think back to his grandson Austin’s bar mitzvah this past Fall and remember him (as pictured above) providing a blessing before the Shabbat meal with his wife and soulmate Phyllis. His life was a blessing, and he is already missed, terribly, by all those he touched in Swampscott, Boston and beyond.

friends

Doug Vogel, 1972-2008

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VOGEL & THRASH, originally uploaded by jetrotz.

Update:  Doug’s obituary has been published in the Johnstown, PA Tribune Democrat, his hometown paper. Memorials to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis, 1251 Waterfront Place, Fifth Floor, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222 would be appreciated.

This is my old friend and co-worker Doug Vogel doing what he loved to do most – sitting back, wearing a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey and watching some good hockey action circa 1999. The Thrashers mascot polishing his bald head is a nice touch I must say, and makes me recall the soft side of Doug – he could be tough as nails, but had a great sense of humor. I learned this morning that Doug passed away in his sleep suddenly last night after a few days of flu-like symptoms – he was far too young and had far too much in front of him to go at such an early age. Jon Anderson, another former CNN/SI developer, noted that he learned from Doug’s family that he had suffered from cystic fibrosis – something he never let most folks know. Doug was just a regular guy – hanging with the boys, playing stupid video games (Goldeneye, anyone?), and prowling Buckhead getting into stupid alcohol-fueled misadventures. He certainly lived life to it’s fullest, leaving CNN/SI to pursue the startup life on the West Coast, but post-bubble, heading to the midwest for a job with a government contractor in Kansas City. Doug is the second of the CNNSI.com ‘originals’ to pass away after Jon Barkan’s passing in December. Our thoughts and prayers remain with their families and friends.