By Kevin Coughlin
Vincent Hagensen was the kind of fireman you wanted by your side when the going got rough.
And he was a go-to guy for community events, too, like Christmas toy drives.
That’s how friends and colleagues, say they will remember him when they pay their respects this week.
Hagensen died in his sleep last Thursday. He was 58.
“He was the type of guy, if someone in the community needed help, he was one of the first guys to step up to the plate,” said Morristown Fire Chief Bob Flanagan.
Hagensen’s wake is scheduled for today, Monday, Aug. 22, 2016, from 4 pm to 8 pm at the Doyle Funeral Home, at 106 Maple Ave. in Morristown. A funeral Mass will be held at 10 am on Tuesday, Aug. 23, at Assumption Church, at 91 Maple Ave.
“He was always positive, always had a smile on his face. He was just an all-around great guy,” said Mayor Tim Dougherty.
Born in Morristown, Hagensen joined the fire department as a volunteer in 1976, and became a career firefighter two years later, upon his graduation from Bayley Ellard High School. He retired in 2008.
He was a member of the Morristown Fire Bureau Search & Rescue team for 40 years, and a lifetime member of FMBA 43. He also was a volunteer firefighter for the Board of Fire Wardens.
A dangerous third-story rescue in 1983 earned Hagensen many awards for valor– from the 200 Club of Morris County, the Morristown Fire Bureau, and from the Mayor’s office. Firehouse Magazine gave him its National Heroism Award, according to Hagensen’s obituary.
“Vince was the firefighter that every aspiring firefighter should hope to be. Firefighting and helping people was what his life was all about,” said Jim Schultz, a former colleague who now serves as senior fire instructor at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy.
“If you were in a bad situation, there is nobody else you would want with you,” said Deputy Fire Chief Jon Prachthauser.
Hagensen also was remembered as a doting father to daughters Mary of Morristown and Elise of Milford, and as a gregarious, fun-loving, civic-minded citizen.
“He had a heart of gold,” said Flanagan, recounting Hagensen feeding senior citizens at Thanksgiving and volunteering at bone marrow drives.
“He would give you the shirt off his back,” said Prachthauser.
Hagensen also was remembered as a gifted carpenter who loved hot rods, motorcycles, Ireland and German Shepherds. He was a member of the Morris County and Essex County Police & Fire Emerald Society.
Hagensen is survived by his mother Alice of Morristown; his brother, Al, and his wife Melanie of Dover; cousins, nieces and nephews, and his companion, Jeanne Amorosso.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in his name be made to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the St. Barnabas Burn Center or to an animal charity of your choice.
Hagensen’s passing is the second blow to Morristown’s Bravest this year. Heather Bendel, secretary to the chief, died in a car accident in the spring.
A wonderful and dedicated community man, Condolences to his family.
RIP