Lieutenant Colonel
Donovan F. Jagger, 73
Lieutenant Colonel Donovan F. Jagger, 73, died from complications of Frontotemporal Degeneration on August 24, 2020. Eugenia Thornton, his wife of 42 years, by his side.
Don enlisted in the Army after high school. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy, graduating in the top the Class of 1970. He was an honor graduate of both Infantry Basic and Advance courses. He graduated from the US Army Ranger School, the Naval College of Command and Staff, and the Army War College. Don attained his civilian post graduate degree from Stanford University in preparation to teach Military History at USMA for several years. Don's areas of expertise were Infantry and Operations. As such, he served in the 82d and the 509th Airborne, the 1st, 2d, and 3d Infantry Divisions in various staff and troop leading positions from platoon to battalion on three continents. Staff positions included battalion adjutant, division S-3 Air, brigade S-3, and VII Corps Deputy Inspector General during the first Gulf War. Don also worked with the National Guard in the state of Washington and served in the Defense Information Systems Agency, and the Army Operational Test Command. Don retired in 1997 after 28 years of continuous active service with a Legion of Merit, a Bronze Star, four Meritorious Service medals, two Army Accommodation medals, and the one he was most proud of because he earned it as an enlisted man, an Army Good Conduct Medal.
Don and Eugenia retired to Frederica in May, 2000, where Don volunteered for the Southern Delaware Heart Association, taught military history classes at Washington College's continuous learning program, joined the Speaker's Bureau for Delaware Humanities Forum, and served as president of the Central Delaware Civil War Roundtable. Don is a life member of the VFW (Camden post), a member of the American Legion (Harrington post), and the Military Officers Association of America (Dover Chapter). He is a member of the VII Corps Desert Storm Association and a Fellow in the International Napoleonic Society. He assisted several military historians who authored books, including local author Tom Ryan.
Don leaves behind his son, Matthew C Jagger, of Manhattan, Kansas; his mother,Georgianna, 100; and his brother, Ted, both of New Jersey; his sister, Georgianna Rosen, of Washington DC; his sister-in-law, Louise Boulden Thornton Burns, of Aiken, South Carolina; and many nieces and nephews.
The family wishes to thank Steve Schwartz, Peter Oldziey, Robert Varipapa, Felisha Hitchens, Philip Sels, and the staff of the Delaware Veterans Home for assisting Don and his family through all phases of his long good-bye.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a tax deductible donation to the Dover Military Officers Association, Inc, PO Box 122, Dover, DE 19903 to benefit various veterans' initiatives in Delaware. Please contact Torbert Funeral Home for more information.