Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Annette Louise (Rocheville) Hagan was born in New York City to her parents Louise and Theodore Rocheville in 1917. She had a twin brother, but he passed away unexpectedly a year after birth due to the flu epidemic of 1918. Annette's parents were French and only spoke French at home. As a result, Annette was fluent in French from a young age and always talked with her hands. Her mother was a homemaker, and while her father had been a chef in France, when he moved to New York he changed careers. He became one of the first people to run a corporate industrial cleaning business in New York City. He was very successful. He was also very creative. During the Depression, he made his own wine and gin in the basement of their home. Her parents gave her a great love of French music and she had a good childhood. When she was growing up, she had a regal collie that looked a lot like Lassie. She named her Lady and always loved having pets. After graduating from high school in New York, Annette studied and performed at the American Ballet Theatre. She studied at New York University and traveled extensively throughout Europe. On one of those trips, she traveled for three months with three girlfriends and they rode bicycles through France. She loved traveling and adored the romantic scenery. Annette moved to Southern California where she completed her undergraduate degree in music and graduate work in business, going on to earn her Masters Degree at UCLA. She taught school in Arizona for a few years where she had an Arabian horse named Teta Molita. She loved riding that horse, although the horse was afraid of cactus shadows in the desert. And, Annette was good with a shotgun. While in Arizona, she once saw a cougar in a tree about to pounce on one of her students and she took the cat out of the tree with one shot. Returning to Southern California, Annette married Dr. Charles Reagan, who was a dentist. They both appreciated good food and fine wine. Together, the couple started the California Food and Wine Society, which grew internationally becoming the Society of Gourmands. The couple owned a huge estate in the foothills of the Hollywood Hills. They threw big bashes for charities. After four years of marriage, the couple grew apart and divorced.

In 1953, Annette married Navy Lt. Commander Floyd Charles Hagan II. He was a Santa Monica lifeguard for many years, an Olympic swimmer who earned many gold and silver medals and broke the world record for the butterfly stroke in 1936, and he was a close friend of Johnny Weissmuller. As Charles was in the Navy, Annette volunteered with the Navy League of the United States, which supported Navy and Marine Corps veterans groups. The couple was blessed with the birth of their only son: Charles Hagan III. As Annette was a single mother much of the time, she did the best she could and loved her son. They always had pets in the house such as poodles, a Weimerander, Labrador, and cats. Annette's parents had followed her and relocated to Southern California in 1956. Her father opened the Captain's Table Restaurant, where the Beverly Center is now located. Young Charles grew up in that restaurant, playing there when he was a child.

When Charles was three-years-old, Annette was in a car accident. She was hit by a drunk driver and broke both of her legs. She was in a coma for six months and when she woke, she was told she would never walk again. Although she was in a wheelchair, she was determined not to let the accident get her down. She found a doctor who helped her through the process of an aggressive physical therapy. Five years later, she got out of the wheelchair and walked. Although the accident slowed her down, she didn't even have a limp. Annette and Charles moved from their Beverly Glen Canyon home to her parent's home during this time. Charles spoke French before he spoke English, as he called his grandparents Grand-mère and Grand-père. His grandparents were wonderful cooks and his grandmother made fresh bread at 4:00 am in the morning. The whole house smelled like fresh baked bread. His grandfather would take him to play in the park. Grand-père would smoke his pipe and watch over young Charles as he played at La Cienega Park. Annette's beliefs in God were strong and she made sure Charles attended Beverly Hills Catholic School. He was also an alter boy at church and sang in the choir.

Professionally, for more than 50 years Annette worked very hard. An absolute workaholic, she was a highly successful Real Estate Broker and she sought investors for venture capital and real estate investments. She was always looking for the big deal and even worked in finding the funding for silver and gold mines. She was a smart businesswoman who was very active in society charities. She was a very active volunteer, serving as the Ways and Means Chairman for the Gold Diggers Society and Crippled Children's Society. She also voluntarily served on committees with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. She traveled in Hollywood circles and liked volunteering with good friends who were also early film and television stars such as Bob Hope, Cara Williams, Donna Reed, Doris Day and Lucille Ball. They were real people who were also her good friends.

Charles grew up very quickly as a child. Charles attended many society and fund raising parties as his mother's escort. He was fitted for a tux at the early age of seven and attended cocktail and Sunday Brunch parties. There wasn't Little League for Charles, but instead Annette enjoyed the arts and shared that love with Charles. She took Charles to the Hollywood Bowl, classical concerts, and the ballet. Her life was rich in the arts and cultures. She loved listening to French music and one of her favorite songs was "La Vie En Rose" by Edith Piaf. Annette played the piano, violin and she played the cello with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. At the Hollywood Bowl, she performed as the first cello. Charles also took piano lessons while he was growing up and he appreciated music because of his mother's influence. He was raised listening to Bach and Beethoven, but they also took time to take in baseball games at Dodger Stadium. She collected hand-painted porcelain teacups for a while, but lost her collection during a flood that damaged her home. Annette was also an avid reader. She read many books including the Bible. With a creative flair, she wrote two children's books in French and even did the illustrations for both books. For recreation, Annette loved to paint landscapes, oceans, deserts, and flowers in the French style of a post-war Paris.

Charles spent many years at the Beverly Hills YMCA and got into competitive swimming and water polo. Attending University High School, He had to take a bus to another school with a swimming pool to swim competitively. Taking after his father's talents for swimming, he was certified at 16 for scuba diving. Annette was always so very proud of Charles and supported his efforts. In many ways, he inherited his spirit of independence from his mother. At 17, when the draft was in effect during the Vietnam War, Charles had to make a choice. He either had to accept being drafted into the Army or follow his father's lead and join the Navy by choice. Although Annette was very worried, she supported his decision to join the Navy. He served for three years on active duty as a Corpsman and three years in the reserves. Annette was so pleased when he came home and went on to become one of the first paramedics with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. He then became an Executive Chef and VP for several restaurants. Her advice was to "be everything you can be." She pushed Charles to do his best and he did. He went on to own a catering business and hosted parties for celebrities including Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, and Sid Caesar, among others. Years later, Annette was very happy when Charles married Karen. She attended their wedding in Clearwater, Florida, and gave them an incredible gift of a two-week Caribbean cruise for the newlyweds. They had a wonderful honeymoon and still remember that trip with grateful smiles. When their daughters were born 22 months apart, Annette visited the family in Atlanta after the births of Shannon and Rebecca. She loved becoming Grand-mère to her granddaughters.

Over the years, Annette loved to garden. She could get roses to bloom and had a talent for gardening. Truly, she had a green thumb, as she planted tomatoes, cabbage, strawberries and even corn in the front and backyard of her home. She loved eating fresh vegetables. She planted fig, lemon, lime and avocado trees that still stand on the property today. Her favorite foods were French and she enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner, champagne or a Gin Fizz now and then. She loved to laugh and sing. Annette was a little flamboyant as people always noticed her presence at the party. Her favorite colors were purples and pinks, but she also liked brighter colors such as blue, red and yellow. Annette was very colorful and her generosity was often personal. When friends encountered difficulties, she loaned them money with the understanding they'd never have to pay her back. She had a good heart and she was there for her friends when they encountered a roadblock in life and she wanted to help.

When Charles owned his catering business, he got to know many celebrities. Producer Bob Massaro invited him to use his classic wooden yacht to surprise Annette for her 70th birthday with a party. Charles invited 30 of her friends and although she figured out there was a surprise for her when they arrived in Marina Del Rey, she had a wonderful time on the yacht with Sid Caesar and other friends. She really enjoyed the charter yacht for the evening. When Karen and Charles were throwing a 50th wedding anniversary party for Karen's parents in New York, they flew Annette to New York to share in the celebration and it was delightful.

Whenever Annette talked with her family, she always ended the phone conversations with the words "I love you." She especially loved talking to her granddaughters. She was pleased when Shannon and Rebecca took an interest in playing musical instruments such as the piano and guitar. When she heard that Shannon was playing the violin, she sent her a violin that she used to play. Shannon recently returned from 12 days in Europe to include France where she appreciated the many sights so dear to Annette. Charles would send his mother fresh flowers and tons of photos while the girls were growing up.

Annette had live-in caregivers for the past eight years. Angelica, her husband and sister took great care of her. Angelica and her family truly gave of themselves and did everything for Annette. Her husband did the yard work and her sister helped to care for Annette, giving Angelica a few days off. Angelica always made sure that Annette went outdoors in the garden every day, when the weather was nice, or she'd take her to the park a few times a week. It was good therapy to have her enjoy the garden, the park and the sunshine. While there were plans for Annette to move east to be with her son and his family, she really wanted to stay in her own home in Southern California. Last summer when her Charles visited, she told him: "I'm at peace. When it's my time, it's my time. I'm at home." She was always happy being in her own home. In fact, she lived in her own home until the end. The night before she passed away, she asked Angelica for a glass of red wine and she enjoyed a few sips. In her final moments, she looked at Angelica and smiled before she closed her eyes. She died happy, as she was at peace.

Annette will best be remembered as independent with a fiery French attitude toward life. She was a strong woman who was very present in a good way. She was never afraid to take a risk or face a challenge. Her advice to her family and friends would be to go on with your lives. She often said "We're all here on this earth for a purpose. Believe in God, follow your heart, work hard, be the best you can be, and ask for help when you need it." It was her mantra in life. Charles will miss her presence, her beautiful smile, and her loving eyes.

Annette made the preparations for her passing in 1990. It was her wish to be cremated and have her ashes laid to rest at Forest Lawn in Glendale, where her parents and friends, Mildred and Preston, are at rest. Her family has honored her wishes. Annette believed in God and heaven and the family feels they will be reunited with her one day. She will be truly missed, but she is now in a far better place at the right hand of God.

Annette was preceded in death by her husband, Lt. Commander Floyd Charles Hagan II. She is loved and remembered by her son Charles Hagan III and daughter-in-law Karen Hagan; granddaughters Shannon and Rebecca Hagan; caregivers and many friends.

Memorial donations are welcome to her favorite charity, which she also volunteered for over the years: American Red Cross at www.redcross.org.