Henry Dandurand Dagit III

Henry (Hank) Dandurand Dagit III, an architect, died July 15, 2024. He died of natural causes at his home in Delray, Florida with his wife Ann by his side. Hank was born July 10, 1931, to Henry Dandurand Dagit, Jr. and Kathryn Dagit (nee Hickley) in Philadelphia, PA.

He is survived by his children Michele Dagit Bates (Paul), Henry D. Dagit IV (Vickie), Chrisanne Dagit Sternal, and stepchildren Char Bunce McCrossan (Dennis) and David C. Bunce Jr. Grandchildren are Kevin, Sean (Laura), and Lindsey Bates, Amelia Dagit MacMillan (JD), Haley Dagit Dotson (Hunter), Kristin Mathers (Chuck), Lauren Jochym (Nick), Sam, Maggie, and Jonah Bunce, and Dylan Sternal. He is also survived by his sister Ginny and brother Len, both of the Philadelphia area.

Hank was raised in Lower Merion, PA attending Malvern Prep and graduating from the University of Virginia with a bachelor's degree in architecture where he was a member of Chi Phi. He is a third-generation architect who worked with his family that includes nine licensed architects with the last name Dagit. Hank retired when his father passed away in 1981 after practicing 25 years with the firm. The last eight of those years included summers with his son in the drafting room.

Hank brought leadership for the firm in completing over 100 commissions in the 1960's and '70's alone. Clientele spanned every market. True to history they served the Catholic community designing churches, universities, convents, rectories, hospitals, and retirement facilities. He was especially fond of awards garnered by his design for Saint Katherine of Siena in Wayne, PA. Could this be because his mother's name was Kathryn? Hospital designs included private, state, and federal buildings. A broad array of university commissions covered classrooms, dormitories, science, and athletic facilities. Millersville University Pucillo Gymnasium is a good example of his design care. Public projects included federal, state, and municipal designs in the way of police and fire stations, libraries, prisons, recreational facilities, and courthouses. Camden County Hall of justice, an unbuilt project, was particularly impressive in scale and complexity. Commercial clients included the likes of General Electric and encompassed offices, research labs, industrial manufacturing, warehousing, and banks. Lastly, Hank loved military history and was blessed to serve as architect for most branches including the army, navy, air force, and the veteran's administration.

Following generations of his family, Hank enjoyed summers in Ocean City, NJ where he pioneered sailing through the surf. Firstly, in the 50's with the notoriously wobbly Sailfish then Sunfish and eventually, the all too easy, Hobie Cat in the 80's. He ended his racing career as a member of the Ocean City Yacht Club with a Capri 23'. An O.C. South-ender, he treated his family to many wonderful summer memories in ocean front rentals with no air conditioning. Perhaps more distressing to his children was his refusal to allow a phone or television in the house, sometimes for the whole summer! With a dime in your pocket, you walked blocks the 42nd Street Market pay phone.

Beyond Hank's love of the sea, and "forcing" that upon his children, he enjoyed skiing. He patiently let them grow through ski equipment as they invested in season passes at Camelback in the Poconos and treated them to a week's ski school at Mt. Snow, Vermont each winter.

Hank eventually parted with the property in Ocean City, the office on Rittenhouse Square, and the Cherry Hill home for a warmer clime. He lived his last decades in Florida mostly in a delightful house at Wildcat Run in Estero, FL.

We believe dad read every book ever written on WW II. We know he read every daily issue of three large newspapers (Inquirer, Bulletin, and Courier-Post) and two municipal weeklies (Cherry Hill News and Ocean City Sentinel-Ledger) for more than thirty years. He did this while sipping his famous martini........but that is a story for another day.