Fred Betz Sagester, 75, of Batesville, Indiana, passed away on December 1, 2021 after a long battle with Parkinson’s and Paget’s Disease.
Fred was born on November 20, 1946 to Phillip and Dorothy (Smith) Sagester in Effingham, IL. After Fred graduated from Princeton High School in Cincinnati, OH in 1965, he went on to study Physical and Secondary Education at Cumberland College in Williamsburg, KY, a Masters in Education at Notre Dame University in South Bend, IN, and Doctorate of Education through Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
In 1968, Fred met Janet Prewitt at Cumberland College and married on December 21, 1968. Fred and Janet went on to have one son, Fred B Sagester, II.
In 2000, Fred retired from Batesville Schools and in 2001 took on the challenge of founding/creating the program which became the Indiana Virtual Academy. It was so successful that it was acquired by the CIESC/Indiana Online who currently serve over 20,000 enrollments in the state of Indiana annually. He spent his leisure time watching Andy Griffith, spending time with family, and as a snowbird in Lakeland, Florida.
Fred was predeceased by his parents, Phillip & Dorothy (Smith) Sagester, and brother, Jim Sagester.
He is survived by his wife Janet, son Fred (Tami); grandchildren, Zachary (Kayla), Madeline, and Maxwell Sagester; sister, Dianne Dunaway (Ben); sister-in-law, Pat Sagester along with many nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at Meyers Funeral Home in Batesville, IN. The services are as follows: Calling Tuesday, Dec 7, 4:00pm-7:00pm, Funeral Service, Wednesday, Dec 8th at 1:00pm. Burial immediately following at St John’s UCC Cemetery, Huntersville. The family requests that all those in attendance, please wear a mask.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Parkinson’s Foundation. They may be brought to services or mailed to: Meyers Funeral Home, P.O. Box 202, Batesville, IN 47006.
Please feel free to leave a memory or a message of comfort for Fred’s family at www.meyersfuneralhomes.com in the online guestbook.