Robert Hagadone
Robert “Bob” Hagadone, 80, of Poplar died Jan. 10, 2024, in Culbertson.
He was a man of true faith, love of family and friend to all. He may have been a man of few words, but when he spoke, you listened.
He was born Aug. 13, 1943, to Dugald “Duke” J. and Nancy (Reid) Hagadone. He was the oldest of three children. He grew up in Poplar, working on the farm with his father. He graduated from Poplar High School in 1961 and was the class valedictorian. While in high school, he was active in band and had a great love for music, something that was instilled in both his children and his grandchildren.
After high school, he attended Montana State University in Bozeman. He started out wanting to major in chemical engineering, but decided that since farming and ranching was in his blood to major in agricultural science, graduating in 1965.
After college, in January of 1966, he made the decision to attend Officer Training School in Rhode Island, thus beginning his six-year career in the U.S. Navy. He went to flight school in Pensacola, Fla., and was a RIO aboard the F4 Phantom. He was part of the VF 151 Fighting Vigilantes (a squadron that his oldest grandson would later become part of almost 50 years later) and would later be stationed in San Diego, Calif. While in the Navy, he did two tours in Vietnam — one aboard the USS Coral Sea and the other aboard the USS Midway.
Also, while in the Navy, he met and married his wife, Beth, in March 1971 and, in June 1971, they welcomed their son, Geoff.
