Margaret Deck Hager
July 25, 1933-May 30, 2025
Cooperstown, ND
Margaret Marie Deck Hager, 91, Cooperstown, ND passed away peacefully on May 30, 2025 at home surrounded by the love of her family.
Funeral services will be held at the St. Cecilia Catholic Church, Harvey on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.
Visitation will be Friday, June 13 from 5-7 p.m.
Followed by the Rosary and Prayer service at 7 p.m. at the Hertz Funeral Home, Harvey, ND.
Margaret Marie Deck Hager was born on July 25, 1933, to John and Ida (Krenzel) Deck, Margaret was one of eleven children and spent her life embodying resilience, devotion, and quiet strength.
At just four years old, Margaret experienced the deep sorrow of losing her mother, Ida, due to complications following childbirth. Even at that young age, she stepped into the role of caregiver for her younger brother, Johnny, while their newborn sister was adopted out of the home.
She and her siblings were lovingly cared for by extended family during that time. When her father remarried Odelia Wagner, the family was reunited and eventually blessed with four more children–Caroline, Andrew, Raymond, and Robert–bringing the total to eleven.
Margaret attended high school at the Sisters of St. Francis Convent in Hankinson, ND, and graduated from Harvey High School in 1951. She pursued her passion for teaching by attending Minot State College during the summers and began her career that fall at New German School #2. She taught there and at several other schools from 1951- 1956.
On June 27, 1955, Margaret married Daniel Hager in a double wedding with her sister Agnes and Raymond Schmitz. Margaret and Daniel raised four children–Bruce, Brian, Brenda, and Bernadette–on the family farm near Balta.
They also endured the heartbreak of losing a daughter, Brianna, at six months gestation in 1965. Margaret poured her heart into every role she held–teacher, wife, mother, farmhand, artist, and friend. She worked tirelessly on the farm–milking cows, raising chickens, canning produce from her extensive garden, and keeping the buildings spotless and well cared for.
Holidays and birthdays were made special in Margaret’s home, complete with decorations, gifts, and her much-loved angel food cake–all captured with her signature photographs. Margaret had a passion for creativity and nature.
She was an accomplished painter, known especially for her landscapes, trees, and whimsical pumpkins. She crocheted beautiful afghans and taught many to crochet and embroidery. She made music with her children and nurtured every living thing she came across, including a litter of orphaned kittens she fed with an eyedropper until they could eat on their own.
Margaret and Daniel started their own very successful Lil’ Orbit Donut business in 1995 inside of the Wal-Mart store in Minot. This was a joyous and memorable time in their lives as they not only met a great many people who became new friends, but a meeting place for the people they had. Margaret was a well-known face in the Harvey community.
She worked for many years as a waitress and barmaid, eventually serving as assistant manager at the Eagles Club. Later, she served at HAV-IT for over 14 years, showing the same care and dedication to her clients as she did to her family.
She was a faithful member of St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church and active in the Christian Women’s Association. Margaret enjoyed playing cards, attending bingo nights, and loved the challenge of puzzle games and crosswords. She ensured her children had the opportunity to explore music, take swimming lessons, and learn the value of reading–offering them a richer life through her steady guidance and love.
Margaret is remembered for her unwavering devotion to family, her love for animals, her artistic spirit, and her deep perseverance through life’s hardships. She gave her family not only roots but also wings–always encouraging them to pursue their dreams.
In 2024, Margaret and Daniel moved to Cooperstown’s Park Place Assisted Living to be closer to Bruce and Kathy, where Margaret had the opportunity to enjoy being “Great-Grandma” to Kathy’s grandchildren. The family extends a special thank-you to Kathy and Bruce for all they have done for Mom, to Angie Overby, resident manager of the assisted living facility, and to Hospice for their compassionate care over the past month.
Margaret is survived by her husband, Daniel, and four children: Bruce (Kathy) of Cooperstown; Brian of Frankville, WI; Brenda (Dan) Storseth of Conroe, TX; and Bernadette (Brad) Fisher of Azalea, OR. Five grandchildren: Charles (Caitlyn) Hager of Mandan; Cindi (Marc) Lindstrom of St. Louis Park, MN; Julian Hager of Sacramento, Calif; Danielle (Chris) Tarver; and Angela (Grant) Cooper of Montgomery, TX.
She is also survived by eight great-grandchildren, including three through marriage whom she loved as her own: Isaac, Mason, and Caroline Hager of Mandan; Marlee and Trip Tarver of Conroe; and Benjamin, Maggie, and Eve Markel of Cooperstown.
Margaret is also survived by four siblings: Donna Bruce of Detroit Lakes, Minn.; John (Marlene) Deck of Bismarck; Andrew (Lorraine) Deck of Minot; and Raymond (Kathy) Deck of Glenwood, IA; and by her brother-in-law, Gary Levi of Minot.
Also surviving are former daughters-in-law: Lori Hager of Fargo, mother of her beloved grandchildren Cindi and Charles; Julie McCoy, mother of Julian; and Christie Hager of Warroad, Minn.–all of whom loved Margaret dearly.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John, Ida, and Odelia; her sisters, Agnes and Caroline; and her brothers, Daniel, Alfred, Albert, and Robert.
Share online at www.hertzfuneralhomes.com.
Published by The Pierce County Tribune, June 7, 2025.