Medford William Magill

Medford William Magill

Surrounded by family and friends, he passed away Friday, Oct. 22, 2010, at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. A native of Hendrickson, Mo., he spent most of his adult life as a resident of Baton Rouge and was retired from the Louisiana School for the Deaf, where he was a vocational educator for 34 years. He was 80, born Jan. 15, 1930, to George Roy Magill and Nellie Mae Foster Magill in Hendrickson. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Gertrude Ann Magill; two sons, Medford Jr. and wife Wendy Breard Magill, and Paul Magill and wife Susan Becnel Magill, of Atlanta; a daughter, Victoria Magill Cookson, of Springfield, Mo.; and four beloved grandchildren, Paul Magill Jr., Kelly Magill, Molly Magill and Trenton Magill. He is also survived by a brother, Gordon Magill, of Popular Bluff, Mo.; and sister, Lula Belle Taylor and husband Bill Taylor, of Kansas City, Mo. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brothers, Clyde, Don, Eugene and Norman; and sisters, Mary and Ida. Class president and valedictorian of the Missouri School for the Deaf, Class of 1949, he earned a bachelor of science in 1954 from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Living his class motto of "Deeds, Not Words," he was a passionate advocate for the deaf community of Louisiana, serving in leadership positions of the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf, National Association of the Deaf, Louisiana Commission for the Deaf, Louisiana Association of the Deaf, the Baton Rouge Association of the Deaf and several more state and local committees. As an ambassador for the deaf community, he was instrumental in the establishment of the statewide Louisiana Relay Service in use today for the deaf to communicate via telephone or video phone. He spent many hours working charity bingo for the Louisiana Association of the Deaf. He was an avid fisherman and the first president of The National Bass Association of the Deaf, founded in 1967. He served as president for three years and participated in 32 annual tournaments. He also enjoyed many years of bowling with the Baton Rouge Deaf Bowling Association. He was a talented woodcraftsman and all around jack-of-all-trades. With all of his personal and professional accomplishments, his sense of humor is very likely what people will remember most about Medford. Visitation will be at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., on Sunday, Oct. 24, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Visitation resumes at the funeral home Monday, Oct. 25, from 8 a.m. until funeral and burial service at 9 a.m., conducted by the Rev. Howard Hall. The family wishes to express their appreciation to the staff of the MICU of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center as well as the Baton Rouge General Medical Center-Mid City for their compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Association for the Deaf at www.nad.org or by mail to 8630 Fenton St., Suite 820, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3819. Please visit www.greenoaksfunerals.com to share memories and offer condolences.
Published in The Advocate on October 24, 2010