William C. Lagos

William C. Lagos
1922-2019
William ""Bill"" C. Lagos was born January 29, 1922 in the frontier town of Hartville,
Wyoming, to Greek immigrants Gust and Georgia Lagos. He was the youngest of
eight siblings. Bill died March 16, 2019, at the age of 97, at his home in Denver,
Colorado.
Bill attended Hartville grade school 1st through 3rd, whereupon the school was
closed due to the Great Depression. Bill and the other students were assigned to
attend school in Sunrise, Wyoming, an iron ore mining camp.
In the spring of 1939, he enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corp. and was sent to
a forest fire camp in Esterbrook, north of Laramie Peak. The Corp. primarily fought
forest fires in the Medicine Bow National Forest and built roads in the area. Bill was
discharged in September 1939 in time to enroll in his senior year at Sunrise High
School. He graduated from high school in 1940.
Bill worked for a year at Colorado Fuel and Iron Company at the Sunrise iron mine.
Many of his siblings also work there. He ended up enrolling at the University of
Wyoming in 1941 and was on the freshmen basketball team.
During WWII four of the Lagos siblings were on active duty in the armed forces. Bill
was enlisted in the reserve ROTC at UW. His entire ROTC unit was called up for
active duty during World War II. The unit was sent to an infantry training center in
Texas. After basic training, he was assigned to Camp Blanding in Florida to be an
instructor. He was later assigned to the 71st Infantry Division.
After additional training, Bill was sent to the European Theater of Operations in
France. He fought in France, Germany, and Austria as part of General George C.
Patton's Third Army.
After the end of the war in Europe, Bill served in units involved in many types of
operations, including looking for war criminals. Other duties with small units
involved helping former slave laborers with shelter and food, before arranging for
them to be returned to their home country.
Bill retuned to the U.S. in April 1946, after four years of service. He returned to
school at the University of Wyoming. While at UW, he was a member of the Sigma
Alpha Epsilon Fraternity and the Potter Law Club. He graduated from the College of
Law in 1949. He was admitted to the Wyoming Bar and U.S. Federals Bar in 1950.
Bill worked for Wyoming Governor Frank A. Barrett followed by Union Oil of
California in Montana and North Dakota. During this time, Bill played baseball in
Wyoming and North Dakota. His Bismarck team was considered by many as a ""semipro""
team since there were a few ex-big league players.
In later years, he worked for oil firms in Dallas, Texas, for 12 years before being
employed by St. Mary Parish Land Company (now SM Energy Co.) in 1966 in Denver,
Colorado.
Bill retired from St. Mary in 1987 as Sr. Vice President and Secretary, but remained
on as a consultant for a few years to the mining firms of Congdon and Carey and
Coca Mines. Bill was an unofficial historian for these entities, primarily SM Energy
Co. for many years.
Bill was a member of the Wyoming Bar Association (retired status); the America Bar
Association (retired status); the 71st Infantry Division Association, the Veterans of
Foreign Wars & Combat Infantry Men's Association, St. Catherine's Greek Orthodox
Church in Greenwood Village, and the Greek Orthodox Church in Cheyenne,
Wyoming.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents Gust and Georgia and his seven siblings:
Calliope Lagos Terovolas (Alec), Pete C. Lagos (Pearl), Jim C. Lagos (Peg), John C.
Lagos, Nick C. Lagos (Olga), Alex C. Lagos, and Angie Lagos White (Robert).
Bill is survived by numerous nieces, nephews and their families. Known
affectionately as Uncle Bill, he was very dedicated to family, spending time attending
graduations, weddings, and other special family events. He was always quick to take
any visiting family to his favorite restaurant, Racine's. He leaves behind many close
friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested contributions be made to St. Catherine's
Greek Orthodox Church, 5555 S. Yosemite Street, Greenwood Village, CO 80111.
A memorial service (Trisagion) will be held at 6 PM on Sunday, March 24, 2019. A
funeral service will be held at 11 AM on Monday, March 25, 2019. Both services will
be held at St. Catherine's Greek Orthodox Church, 5555 S. Yosemite Street,
Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Trisagion: March 24, 2019 6:00 pm

St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church
5555 South Yosemite Street
Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Funeral Service: March 25, 2019 11:00 am

St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church
5555 South Yosemite Street
Greenwood Village, CO 80111