Stephen Bagarus

Stephen Bagarus, 62, of Gaithersburg, Md., formerly of South Bend, died Friday at home after a five-month illness. He was a salesman for King Pontiac of Maryland. He was bom on June 19, 1919, in South Bend, and had lived here until 1945. .

After five-years in the Army, he was drafted by the Washington Redskins professional football team. A 1945 Associated Press article dubbed Bugsy Bagarus the Muscled Sinatra of the Gridiron" alluding to his popularity with fans. His speed and agility made him an overnight sensation as a pass receiver, until a broken leg in 1947 slowed him down, bringing his career to a close in 1949. He was graduated from Washington High School and the University of Notre Dame. He had played football at Washington and Notre Dame, before going to to the former San Diego Bombers, the Washington Redskins, and the Los Angeles Rams, from 1945 to 1949.

He was married in 1946 in San Diego, Calif., to Ann Filchak. She survives, along with two daughters, Mrs. Patricia Boren of San Diego, Calif., and Miss Mary Robin Bagarus of Germantown, Md; two sons, Ronald of Germantown, and Gary of Grenada Hills, Calif.; five grandchildren; three sisters, Mrs. Ella Barkovich of San Diego, Mrs. Rose Zwierzyn-ski and Mrs. Julie Dobrzykowski, both of South Bend; and three brothers, Louis, Julius and Richard all of South Bend

Services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church. Rev. Thomas Lallak, pastor, will officiate. Bunal will be in Sacred Heart Cemetery. Friends may call from 2 to 9 p.m. today at the Zahoran Funeral Home, where a parish rosary will be recited at 7:45 p.m.

Sources: Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com and FindAGrave.com

03/29/2024 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/67588619/stephen-michael-bagarus