A Private Memorial Service for Bertha JoAnn Hager will be held on Sunday, January 31st, 2027 under the direction of The Elliot-Gentry Carder Funeral Home, Cabool, Missouri.
Bertha Joann Hager, lovingly known as Joann and “Grandma Hager,” passed away on October 8, 2026, at the age of 89. She was born on January 31, 1937, in New Boston, Ohio, during the great flood of 1937. Two days before Joann was born, the family home flooded, and a local farmer rescued the family by boat. The farmer’s wife was named Bertha, and Joann was given that name in her honor. Although she never went by Bertha and preferred her middle name, Joann loved telling the story of how she got her name.
After marrying Graley, who served in the United States Navy, Joann and her husband lived in several places as they grew their family. They eventually settled in Pomona, California. To help make ends meet while her sons were young, Joann took babysitting jobs and worked at a school. Later, she began working for General Telephone & Electronics. When GTE merged with Bell Atlantic to form Verizon in 2000, she continued working for the company until her retirement. Joann lived in Pomona for more than 50 years. In July 2025, she moved to Cabool, Missouri, to live with her grandson Steven and his family.
Joann loved doing puzzles and crocheting. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren knew her as a wonderful listener—someone who was always ready to lend an ear. She was deeply loved by her family and will be greatly missed.
Joann had a lifelong love of animals, especially dogs. Her belief was captured in the message on her license plate: “Be Kind to Animals.”
She was preceded in death by her parents, Bruce and Verna; her siblings Paul, Carol, Mary, Joyce, Bill, and her infant brother, Russell; her husband, Graley; and her sons Gregory and Thomas.
She is survived by her son Christopher Hager of Maine; her sister Judy Tolbert of Alabama; her grandson and his wife, Steven and Kimberly Hager, of Cabool, Missouri; and her great-grandchildren Matthew, Alex, Cristian, and Brooklyn.
