William "Bill" C. Kaag

Let Us Pause To Honor the Memory of
William C. "Bill" Kaag (Ret. U.S. Navy)

Mr. William C. "Bill" Kaag, age 88, of Shelbyville, Kentucky and formerly of Madison, Indiana entered this life on May 13, 1931 in Jefferson County, Indiana. He was the loving son of the late Henry Jacob and Ruth Mildred Gasaway Kaag. Raised in Jefferson County, Bill was a 1949 graduate of Hanover High School where he earned valedictorian honors and played as a point guard for the Bulldogs his senior year. Bill was determined to go to college and worked to save his money, even working at night. He graduated from Hanover College in 1953. He majored in chemistry and went to work at the Jefferson Proving Ground as a chemist. Bill was raised in the Sharon Hill Presbyterian Church, located about a mile from the family farm. In 1955, he joined the United States Navy and while studying for his master's degree in meteorology at the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey, California, he met his bride-to-be. On April 8, 1957, he was united in marriage to Betty Lou Bucchino in Honolulu, Hawaii. This marriage of 63 years was blessed with a son, William "Greg", and daughters, Deborah "Debbie" and Kathryn "Kathy". During his twenty year naval career, Bill served throughout the United States and overseas, including a year on board the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany while he was deployed off the coast of Vietnam. Bill was honorably discharged after serving two terms in Vietnam on July 31, 1975 at Norfolk, Virginia. He received the Vietnam Service Medal with Two Bronze Battle Stars, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Navy Unit Commendation Medal, the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal with Date Bar, and the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross). Bill retired after 21 years of service with the United States Navy as a meteorologist and oceanographer with his last duty being in Iceland. Bill received his Master's of Education from Memphis State University. After his retirement from the Navy, Bill returned to his beloved Jefferson County where he taught math at Southwestern High School in Hanover, served as a real estate broker and later worked as a computer programmer for the (Louisville) Courier-Journal. Bill and Betty bought the family farm from his mother and he enjoyed raising soybeans, corn and beef cattle. Bill was a proud and faithful member of the Schmidlap Masonic Lodge No. 408 F. & A.M., Murat Shrine and Scottish Rite. He was a faithful member of the Kent United Methodist Church where he served as treasurer. He also served on the Kent Water Board for many years. He enjoyed going mushroom hunting, making syrup from his own maple trees and raising a large garden where he raised his famous tomatoes. Bill loved sports, especially IU basketball and being with his family. Bill and Betty moved to Shelbyville, Kentucky to be near their daughter and attended the Centenary United Methodist Church. Bill died on Saturday, March 14, 2020, at 7:08 p.m. at the Hosparus Inpatient Unit of the Norton Pavilion in Louisville, Kentucky with his loving wife at his side.
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A LOVING FAMILY
Bill will be missed by his loving wife of 63 years, Betty Lou Bucchino Kaag of Shelbyville, Kentucky; his loving son, William "Greg" Kaag and his wife Ditas of Stafford, Virginia; his loving daughters, Deborah "Debbie" Schappert and her husband, Reinie of Chesapeake, Virginia and Kathryn "Kathy" Woods and her husband Stacy of Bagdad, Kentucky; his loving grandchildren, Christina Cowley, Caren Cowley, Hannah Woods, Amanda Kaag, and Elizabeth Kaag; several nieces, nephews and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his father, Henry Jacob Kaag, his mother, Ruth Mildred Gasaway Kaag, his brother, Robert Kaag, his sisters, Dorothy Gray and Norma Nichols.
FUNERAL CEREMONY
Funeral services will be conducted Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at 1:00 p.m., by Rev. Skip Napier at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, 325 Demaree Drive in Madison, Indiana. Interment will follow in the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1415 North Gate Road in Madison, Indiana.
VISITATION
Friends may visit Wednesday from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre, 325 Demaree Drive in Madison, Indiana.
MILITARY HONORS
A final salute will be conducted on Wednesday, March 18, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. by Major Samuel Woodfill Post No. 9 of the American Legion and the Great Lakes United States Naval Ceremonial Unit at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centre with military honors to follow at the Indiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery Chapel, 1415 North Gate Road in Madison, Indiana.
MEMORIAL EXPRESSIONS
Memorial contributions may be made to the Kent United Methodist Church or the Schmidlap Masonic Lodge No. 407 F. & A.M. or Hosparus. Cards are available at the Morgan & Nay Funeral Centres of Madison and Hanover. Online condolences, www.morgan-nay.com

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