Funeral arrangements set for Metra chief who killed himself

Funeral arrangements have been set for the embattled Metra chief who killed himself Friday by stepping in front of an oncoming train hours before a hearing on his employment future was scheduled to begin.

Visitation for Phil Pagano will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Davenport Funeral Home at 419 E. Terra Cotta Avenue in Crystal Lake. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Davenport officials said.

The 60-year-old longtime Metra employee had been under investigation by the agency's board since late April for financial improprieties. Board members said Pagano had told them he had made an "error." The board was scheduled to meet Friday to discuss his job status as executive director.

Metra officials indicated Pagano had received unapproved up to $50,000 in advances on his vacation pay. One board member, Arlington Heights Mayor Arlene Mulder, told the Daily Herald the allegations "weren't anything to the proportion to what maybe some people are thinking."

McHenry County authorities said Pagano stepped in front of the train traveling between 45 mph and 50 mph at 8 a.m. Friday near a crossing a mile and a half from his home. Investigators found documents at Pagano's home indicating the man's intention to take his own life, authorities said.

Pagano is survived by a wife and two daughters.