Jon Frederick Rager

Jon Frederick Rager was born March 6, 1940 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was the eldest of 3 siblings (Jon, Kathy, and Jim) born to Max and Marie Rager. His father was kind, loving and devout. His mother was the rock of the family and dad was a true mama's boy who rarely left his mother's side.
At age 4, his parents decided to move West to sunny California; eventually landing in South Gate. When he arrived, his parents enrolled him in Catholic Elementary School at St. Helen's Parochial School, run by the sisters of Notre Dame. This is when his deep devotion to and love of the Catholic faith began. By the 3rd grade, he was an altar boy; a career he would continue all throughout high school.
In 8th grade, he ran for and was elected to school president. However, his friend was upset that he did not win. So, he gladly traded positions with him becoming the school treasurer. This began his love affair with numbers and accounting.
In high school, he attended Pius X in Downey, CA and played football. He played Center hiking the ball to his good friend and quarterback, Jack Schwable.
Jon then met Nan Freiburghouse in the fall of 1958 at Pius X. She wanted to nothing to do with him, but she went out on a date with him so she would not hurt his feelings.
Dad wanted to become a priest, but he liked girls and cars too much; especially Nan and his 1963 Thunderbird.
Knowing that his family could not afford college, he worked through college to support his own education at Long Beach State.
After graduating Long Beach State in 1962, he joined the California Army National Guard with his pals, Ed Seidlinger and Jack Schwable. They went to basic training at Fort Ord and then was ordered to Fort Bliss, Texas. This was during the Cuban missile crisis, so everyone was a little nervous about being attacked by the Russians.
Luckily, the Cuban missile crisis faded, and he went into a much calmer profession becoming an accountant at Arthur Anderson in 1963.
In 1964, dad bought a house in Hermosa Beach.
Eventually, the love of his life, Nan, came around and they were married at American Martyrs Church on November 19, 1966.
In 1971, they bought a house in Manhattan Beach for $69,000. In that house they raised their 3 boys (Jon, Jeff and Brad). The house became fuller in the mid-80s when they took in their nieces as daughters, Danielle and Kelly. In a house of controlled chaos, dad was always the voice of reason and calm.
In June 1975, he opened his own accountancy firm with his good friend, Phil Meyer.
Being an accountant suited my dad well as his attention to detail was like no other. I think some of his clients confused him for an IRS agent.
With Nan's insistence, he eventually retired in 2008.
Thereafter, Nan and Pa hit the Golden Years splitting time between Manhattan Beach, Lake Arrowhead and Santa Ynez. They spent a ton of time with their grandchildren and fully enjoyed life and retirement.
Before and after retirement, Nan taught my dad to be generous. She had some hard times growing up and she never forgot what it felt like to not have much. My dad jumped on that bandwagon quickly and both of them spent a significant portion of their lives volunteering and supporting charitable organizations.
In 2018, Nan passed and Pa lost his soulmate. This was a very difficult time for him, but Pa dug in and stayed busy at American Martyrs Church, and enjoying time with his dear friends and family.
Jon Rager will be remembered most for his selfless nature. He valued others happiness before his own. He was a well-respected man who lead by example. It's a true loss for the family he has left behind, but a win for the family he joins in heaven.
Jon Rager is survived by his sons (Jeff and Brad Rager), daughter-in-laws (Beth Rager and Allison Rager), son-in-law (Nate Harrington) and 9 grandchildren (Patrick, Tyler, Noah, Charlie, Evelyn, Cecilia, Lainey, Hayden, and Hunter).

Funeral services will be held on February 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., at American Martyrs Church.