Agnes Irene Chirgwin

Agnes Irene Chirgwin
June 28, 1929 – August 6, 2020
Agnes Irene Chirgwin, age 91 years, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, August 6, 2020.
Agnes was born June 28, 1929 in Butte, Montana to parents Wilmot & Juanita(Henry) Moll. Her father was a union electrician for the copper mine
and her mother was a teacher. During the Great Depression, her father worked on various construction
projects and the family moved often throughout Oregon, Idaho and Washington.
Agnes worked as a telephone switchboard operator during summers in high school. She graduated from
Pocatello (Idaho) High School in 1947. She went on to attend Oregon State College where she joined the
Phi Kappa Phi sorority and made friends that lasted a lifetime. She also met her future husband, David
Chirgwin, while at OSC. Agnes majored in Home Economics with a minor in Art, graduating with a
Bachelor of Science degree in 1951.
She began teaching at Molalla Union High School that fall and was teaching in Banks, Oregon when she
married David on June 6th, 1954, a marriage that would last for 65 years until he passed in 2019. They
had two sons, Keith and Mark. Pausing for a few years while her children were young, she resumed
teaching at the new Medford Senior High School and subsequently the Phoenix High school. While she
worked and raised a family, she also found the time to pursue a master’s degree in Education.
Community service and engagement were important to Agnes. She was active in the First Methodist
Church, teaching Sunday school there, and was an active member of PEO for nearly 60 years. She served
on the state board of the League of Women Voters and the City of Medford Parks Commission, each for
six years.
She understood the value of gathering people together and set a good table, feeding friends and family.
She provided her sons with encouragement and confidence as their pursued their careers. Her grandson
Ray spent his summers at grandma’s house, and she was very involved in his life. She cross-country skied
most of her life and was involved in Jazzercise for several decades. She made lasting friendships through
all these activities. Agnes and Dave had an active retirement which included bicycle riding, hiking,
birding, and attending Elderhostel trips all over the world.
She is survived by her son Keith and his wife Carole and their sons Tyler and Eric; her son Mark and his
wife Peggy and their son Ray and his wife Natalie; and her siblings John (Michelle) Moll and Dorothy
Ossinger. She will be laid to rest beside David In Hillcrest Memorial Park, Medford, OR.