It’s an image of Dean Jago many will cherish. The impish grin and a friendly greeting, usually delivered by way of a nickname — often a clever sports or movie reference — he had concocted just for you.
For most of his life, Jago, who was born in Virden and raised on a farm near Reston, displayed a gift for the personal touch.
He was a communicator in an age when real conversation was a lost art. He brought people together.
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The Jago family included (from left): CC, Nolan, Dean, Janet, Tanner and Shelby.
In death he drew a crowd, too. A gathering of about 700 attended his celebration of life at Brandon’s Victoria Inn on Oct. 11 — and there was a suspicion that number was underreported — with two dozen folks milling around the entrance, unable to find a spot inside. Hundreds more witnessed the event online.
What sparked the outpouring of affection? It was simple, really.
Jago, who died of a heart attack on Sept. 21 at the age of 60, was revered by those who knew him.
And his circle of friends was as vast as it was loyal.
A longtime regional sales manager at Brandon’s Leech Printing, Jago attended college in Calgary before embarking on a successful career in sports broadcasting in 1984, first at CKLQ radio in Brandon before moving across town to CKX-TV.
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Jago joined Brandon’s Leech Printing in 2005 after stints at Hostess and Coca Cola.
“For a guy that I knew my whole life, I knew under half of the people who were at his funeral,” says Brad Martin, a former Brandonite now living in Victoria, B.C. “He had so much ahead of him and he deserved so much and had given so much.
“He always put family and friends first and it was finally going to be a time for him to recall raising two wonderful sons and enjoy his grandkids and life at the lake and building a family, building a new cottage and travelling. That’s what really hurts and that’s what makes you angry.”
Jago cultivated friendships with former co-workers such as Dave Henry that lasted until his death.
“He was the kind of guy that really made connections very easily and you really felt like he was a good friend,” says Henry, who worked with Jago at CKLQ in the mid-’80s. “He was just a real people person. … He had the gift of the gab but he really made you feel connected to him. And it wasn’t phony or fake.”
Jago, who moved into the sales industry in 1993 — first at Hostess and Coca Cola before joining Leech in 2005 — was a superb networker.
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Jago began his career as a radio sports announcer, first at Brandon’s CKLQ radio.
“Once you got in the room (at the celebration of life), it was a little overwhelming with the number of people,” says Nolan Jago, his oldest son. “But I think we were fully anticipating that. Everywhere you went with dad … there were always people to talk to.
“Half the time we wouldn’t know who they were but Dad would know who they were, who their kids were, what they did for work and who their parents were. … It felt like he knew everybody.”
In the pre-internet days, Jago was a walking database of Western Manitoba.
“He was the guy that would fill you in about all things about Brandon and while he wasn’t a gossiper, he talked to so many people that you were up to date with everything after you talked to him,” says Martin. “I think what I heard at the funeral was that was how everyone felt and that’s why you really felt like Dean was your best friend. And I was annoyed when I read comments from people who felt the same way, because I felt he was my best friend.”
Jago, who is survived by his wife, Janet, sons Nolan (wife CC) and Tanner (partner Shelby Tarr) and grandchildren Walker and Scottie, was beloved for his quick wit, humility and an almost supernatural memory.
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Jago enjoyed life at the family cottage, surrounded by family and friends.
“I said to the kids, you know, we have no idea about the amount of knowledge that he had in his head in terms of history and names and sports dates,” Janet says. “He would be able to tell you what team won what and in what year and all that kind of stuff.”
The second of four boys born to George and Donna Jago, Dean was the peacemaker and a voice of reason in a testosterone-filled household.
“Growing up with three brothers isn’t the easiest, it’s competitive, right?” says younger brother Dale. “We were wild buggers, too. He was always the one that brought reason and common sense to a lot of the situations.”
All four boys, including Clayton, the oldest, and Clare, the youngest, were athletes who participated in a wide range of sports. But baseball and hockey were the sports of choice.
“I left home early to go to Notre Dame (Wilcox, Sask., hockey academy) and he was always interested in how I was doing,” says Dale, whose hockey career took him to the University of Minnesota Duluth and a 14-year pro career in Europe. “He could calm me down because I was ultra competitive, ultra wired, always on tilt. I called him my North Star because you could guide your vessel through him.”
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Jago at Fenway Park, the home of his beloved Boston Red Sox.
Dean, who coached both Tanner and Nolan for most of their minor baseball and hockey careers, seemed to have a special instinct for communicating with young players.
“In terms of Xs and Os in the sport, he wasn’t necessarily that way,” says Nolan, who went on to play in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and baseball at Minot State University. “He was more of a people person, in the sense of when you were down, he knew the right things to say to pick you back up. If you’re a little high on your horse, he knew the right things to say to get you back to where you needed to be.”
Despite moving into sales, Jago didn’t abandon broadcasting completely. He teamed up with another childhood friend, curler Brent Fines, to televise the Westman Super League of Curling on Westman TV for three years.
“I didn’t know a person who didn’t like the guy,” says Fines. “He was always positive, he knew his sports inside and out — he seemed to have an inside scoop in some ways from his sports background. … We could banter on about sports during curling and I know a lot of people who watched us and they got a kick out of it.”
Jago’s encyclopedic knowledge and love of sports was often part of the conversation. A passionate follower of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Cowboys and Boston Red Sox, it was a special thrill when he witnessed Tanner, playing hockey for Bentley University, skating outdoors at Boston’s Frozen Fenway event in 2017.
“Dean loved the Cowboys and I absolutely hate the Cowboys, right?” says Dale. “But we would talk every Sunday and we probably watch a half of football while we were talking. He loved baseball. He would’ve loved to see the Yankees get swept (in the World Series) this year. I think he might have had something to do with that, actually — Game 3, when they made all the errors. I’m thinking Dean was involved somehow.”
At Leech Printing, Jago was a considerate boss and similarly attentive to his customers. He was full of surprises at work.
“It was more what was he gonna say or what song was he gonna sing,” says Margaret Woronchuk, a customer service rep who proudly called Jago her work husband. “It was always something goofy. Work now is pretty quiet. There’s a few of us that still joke around — we always will — but he always seemed to be in the middle of it or he would start it. There was always laughter and goofiness and we did have fun at work with him around.”
Jago’s death was a shocking blow to the Leech employees.
“I was a mess — I can truly say that,” says Woronchuk. “It was probably the first time that you would have ever seen me cry in public. I just don’t do that.”
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Jago and his wife Janet with their grandchildren, Scottie and Walker.
The grief will be felt most profoundly by his family.
“If Dad were here, we don’t know how the hell we’d get out of this room, as he was famous for exiting sporting events or social gatherings as slowly as possible, making sure to talk to everyone,” Nolan told the crowd on Oct. 11. “Dad, we don’t know what this playbook of life looks like without you, but we do know it isn’t the same and it isn’t complete.
“We’d do anything to call an audible at the line to have you back. There were so many things left for us to see and do as a family that we won’t get to experience now.”
mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca
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Jago and his wife Janet loved to travel and recently enjoyed trips to Europe.
Mike Sawatzky
Reporter
Mike Sawatzky is a sports reporter at the Free Press. He has been working at the newspaper since 2003. Read more about Mike.
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