LuVerne Hagestuen

LuVerne Gloria (Suckow) Hagestuen, age 84, went to meet Our Savior on December 6, 2021.  She was comforted by her daughters as she met her loving and merciful God.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, December 17, 2021, at First Lutheran Church in Mandan with Pastor Phil Leer officiating.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church.

Vernie was born on December 29, 1936, in Holloway, Minnesota, to August and Helen (Erdman) Suckow.  She grew up with five siblings, Florence, Mildred, Doreen, Doris, and Harold.

During high school, Vernie participated in Glee Club and choir.  She was a devout Lutheran and was confirmed at Fron Lutheran in Starbuck.  Vernie graduated from Starbuck High School, and soon after married Richard M. Hagestuen on September 16, 1955.  The two moved to Mandan, North Dakota where they worked, lived, and raised their family.  She enjoyed music, nature, painting, and singing.

Vernie worked at the local Central Drug and for many years as a volunteer for hospice.  She found great comfort in providing care to others, as she was a natural caretaker.  However, her greatest joy came from being a mom, grandma, and great grandma.  Some of the family’s fondest memories include tea parties (complete with sugar cubes and old hats), watermelon seed spitting contests on the 4th of July, and wonderful home-cooked meals, especially her lemon poppyseed bread.

Vernie and her late husband went on many rides in the country with their dogs.   Vernie also put a lot of her energy into sewing Dawn and Kirsten’s clothing, creating beautiful dresses that the two would wear to church.  She also painted scenes from nature, and even won a few contests for her art.

Vernie will be remembered for her creativity, especially her enjoyment found from interior decorating, nature, and singing.  Her love of music has been passed on to her family, and many remember visiting her, struggling to hear what was being said during conversations because the music was blaring in the background.

She is survived by her daughters, Dawn (Bob) Fix of Mandan, ND and Kirsten (Oak) Reile of Fargo, ND; sister, Doris Gorder of Starbuck; 7 grandkids, Beth (Jesse) Brademeyer, Brian (Katie) Fix and Megan Fix; Sam (Jessica) Reile, Ben (Desiree) Reile, and Jed (Courtney) Reile, and Grace (Brian) Krippner; and 21 great grandkids.

Vernie was greeted at heaven’s gates by her late husband, Richard M. Hagestuen, and three of her children, Jonathan, Kai, and Kari.  Also preceding her in death are three of her great grandchildren, Parker, Bentley, and Evlyn.  Three of her sisters, Florence Sylte, Mildred Suckow, and Doreen Stolt, along with her brother, Harold Suckow, and many other family members and friends welcomed her with open arms into God’s Kingdom.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the World Hunger Organization via website, mail, or by phone.

Contact:

ELCA World Hunger

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

ELCA Gift Processing Center

PO Box 1809

Merrifield, VA 22116-8009

1-800-638-3522