Roger C. Hagen
October 21, 1949 ~ August 16, 2017
Roger Curtis Hagen, 67, of Fargo, ND, died unexpectedly on August 16th, 2017 at Sanford Medical Center after a short battle with cancer. He passed peacefully, surrounded by his family.
Roger was born in Minot, ND on October 21st, 1949 to Robert and Corine Hagen. He grew up on a farm near Berthold, ND where he graduated from high school in 1967.
He continued his education at North Dakota State University where he received both a bachelors and masters degree in Civil Engineering. He met his wife, Deb, while attending NDSU and they were married on June 22nd, 1974.
Roger worked at Houston Engineering in Fargo, ND for his entire 42-year career. He was a professional engineer and registered land surveyor. He became vice president of the company and held the position for many years. He was respected by everyone he worked with for his dedication to the company. He was admired by his coworkers for his straightforward and honest approach as well as his leadership in all areas. Roger ‘officially’ retired in 2015 but was still a regular presence at the office.
Roger was a dedicated member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church for over 40 years and belonged to the Knights of Columbus. Faith being a priority, he was part of several church groups. He was a long time member of the Lake Agassiz Kiwanis Club. He was also actively involved with the FM Engineers Club and several professional organizations.
Loving the outdoors, Roger enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and camping. He spent countless hours caring for his flower and vegetable gardens. Roger never missed an opportunity to hunt and fish, often in remote areas of the US and Canada. The next traveling adventure with his wife and family was always being planned…sometimes before the current trip was even finished. He was a talented woodworker making furniture for his kids’ homes as well as his own. Roger was dedicated to his work and had many hobbies, but his family was always his first priority and his grandchildren were his pride and joy.
Roger is survived by his wife, Deb; son Nathan (Jolena) and grandchildren Addison and Anna of Salt Lake City, UT; son Justin (Amy) and grandchildren Paige and Evan of Victoria, MN; and daughter Heather (fiancé Derek Nieuwsma) of Minneapolis, MN. He is also survived by his sister Connie and brother Wes, both of Berthold, ND. He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Jean Kram and several members of Deb’s family, including Harry and Jane Kram, Harvey and Patty Metzger, Paul and Nancy Kram, Roger and Bernice Kram, and Shelly and Bob Silletto. He is preceded in death by his parents, father-in-law Anton Kram, and sisters-in-law Judy Metzger and Gail Kram.
Memorials may be directed to ndsualumni.com in Roger's name.
Funeral Mass: 11:00 am, Monday, August 21st with visitation from 10:00-11:00 am at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fargo.
Visitation: 5:00-7:00 pm, Sunday, August 20th followed by a prayer service at 7:00 pm at Boulger Funeral Home in Fargo.
Burial: Holy Cross North Cemetery in Fargo
View current weather.
Memories Timeline
Guestbook
Sign the Guestbook, Light a Candle
God Bless you Roger and may he hold you in the palm of his hand. You were nothing short of an exceptional father, grandfather, brother, friend, and Christian. Your humor along with your humble kindness were unmatched and will be sorely missed.
Deb, Nate and Jo, Justin and Amy, Heather and Derrick – our hearts go out to you. I pray you continue to feel Roger’s presence with God in the coming days and months and continue to celebrate the gift you were given in Roger through memories and traditions.
We love you and pray for your healing.
The Volk’s – Steve, Beth, and Peyton (p.s. Peyton’s immediate reaction to us talking to her was “Oh yeah I remember him…he was really funny!” Goes to show just how much Roger impacted us all!)
I am so sorry to hear of Roger’s passing. May you all be comforted by his loving memories.
Our deep sympathy to all of you at this difficult time. May you find comfort and strength in the company of family and friends and all those who hold you in their thoughts and prayers. May God’s peace be yours and may it sustain you now and in the days to come.
I had the pleasure and honor of working with Roger and serving with him on the Board of Directors of Houston Engineering. I respected Roger because his steady presence. I learned quickly to stop and listen intently when he spoke, because of the wisdom his message carried. I recently called him seeking his guidance on a personal matter, because i respected his insight and wisdom. We have a common passion for hunting, fishing and family and i always enjoyed those discussions.I pray for your family, that you can find strength at this difficult time, knowing that he made the world a better place and his greatest pride and accomplishment in life was his family. God bless. Mark and Lisa Deutschman
Thank you Deb and his family for letting Roger do the things he loved. It was a great pleasure to be with Roger to pheasant hunt and do the Alaska salmon halibut fishing I shared these trips in anticipation of a great time wished we could do one more but can except he will be in better hands. God bless him
The heavens are singing the songs of welcome to our Roger, while our hearts are so heavy. Roger was a man of great integrity. Of insights beyond his years, and wholesomeness. A raw, beautiful clear glass of honest character. Someone who appeals to our soul. Roger was fun and kind, creative and detailed. He leaves a hole in our hearts. As we long for just one more tailgate, or one more hunt. One more laugh.
It will be so difficult to press on….. To Deb – I’m crying with you, beautiful one. You gave Roger what ever man desires: an unconditional love. A presence. A mutual team dedicated to the love of God, family, and friends.
To Nate, Justin, and Heather…. you had. an amazing. amazing. dad. I marveled at his communication with you all. I was in awe of your relationship. You have been blessed deeply, and that’s why this is going to hurt for so so so long. To Amy and Jo: Man, he was CRAZY about you! To Derek… you complete the circle. To the grandchildren…. you will always know, GRANDPA was WILD about everything you do!!!! Nothing could make him beam as you four could do.
Roger will be missed. We will grieve with you. We will hold you in prayer for many, many days to come.
And…. as I watch those pheasants who got away from him – I will marvel at their colors. Their flight. Their beauty as Roger did. God bless you
Sincere condolences to the family. Although we were competitors in the engineering business I can tell you that all of us from the firm of Bartlett and West are very saddened by his passing, we all thought the world of him and respected him deeply for his professionalism and his pleasing and engaging personality. He was a great representative for Houston Engineers and I am sure his family is very proud of him.
Deb, Heather and family, may God’s peace that transcends all understanding fill you and carry you at this sad time. I am so happy that God crossed our paths in 4-H and as neighbors and we came to know Roger as the giving, gentle soul that he is! Roger ran the race of life well!! You are in our thoughts and prayers!
My sincere sympathy to family and friends of Roger. I had the good fortune to be one of the Key Club advisors at North High when Roger faithfully came to our meeting and supported our students as they grew & served in the community. I always felt great respect for him and really was the best Kiwanisiason. He was a man of God and service truely was his way of life. We were blessed to have him in our club for so many years. His gentleness, kindness and love of service is a legacy that will carry on.
Hagen Family: We are terribly sorry to hear this news, and our hearts are broken for you! Please except our condolences and know that we appreciated Roger as a professional and as a good guy! Peace to you!
Dear Deb and family,
We were shocked and saddened to learn of Roger’s death. We knew him mostly as a dedicated Kiwanian and a fine gentleman.
With our sincere sympathies,
Julie and Craig Johnson
Eden Prairie, MN
It was a pleasure and a blessing to be able to spend time with Roger over the past two years. The visits here to our Florida home were very much enjoyed. HIs presence was greatly appreciated. I am very fortunate to have been able to know this fine man. He will be missed.
Roger was a very good and serious student while at NDSU and a highly qualified professional engineer. He will be missed among colleagues and friends.
My deepest sympathies to his family and friends.
Mort Mazaheri
Professor Emeritus, NDSU
Casa Grande, AZ
Four simple words . . . I came to work for Houston Engineering late in my career, seizing the opportunity to expand company operations in Minot, ND. Roger and I shared the same passion for water supply engineering, to make a well-thought-out hydraulic model come to reality with water “flowing downhill”, as Roger’s simple common sense wisdom would always proclaim to the younger engineers. I always remember four simple words spoken to me by Roger; that’s all it really ever took for Roger to make his point, short and to the point. One Friday afternoon, I was working frantically to wrap up loose ends for the week, and when I looked up, there was Roger in my office doorway. He was just passing through Minot on his way back to Fargo, and like a dedicated company Vice President, he knew he should stop at the local office just to say hi, and see how things are going. The easy thing to do was just keep going down the road to home. Four simple words . . . After some small talk and conversation on projects of common interest, it came time for Roger to leave, and as he turned to leave, he stopped, looked, and left me with “you’ve done well here”. Four simple words I cherish to this day, and always will. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Dave and Connie O’Shea.
Our Deepest Sympathy to Roger’s immediate family and his family at Houston Engineering. Roger was a fantastic individual. I’ll never forget my time at Houston Engineering and the great leadership and mentorship Roger provided to me. God Bless him, his family and all who called him friend.
many years of enjoyable work together
I am so saddened to hear of the passing of Roger. I work at Ohnstad Twichell law firm, and it was always a pleasure when I called to talk to Roger. My deepest sympathies go to his family.
My deepest condolences to Roger’s family. I graduated in 1967 with Roger. He was always a dedicated student and nice to be around. He leaves his family a legacy of love and knowing what really matters in life. It was a pleasure to be one of his classmates.
Our deepest sympathy to the Hagen family.
And to the rest of the Dyke family on the loss of dear Roger.
Many hunting and fishing stories will continue to be told about Roger and his sons trips and his cousins excursions.
Remembing the good times and keeping his memory close to our heart.
Dolan and Carol Dyke
A very kind man a joy to work with.
So sorry to here of Roger passing. My sympathy to the family. I had known Roger since 1980 in the world of rural water. Roger always was a wealth of information and would always take time to visit or answere a question regardless of how busy he was. He will be missed by all who knew him….Gods speed
Justin and Hagen family – We are so sorry to learn of the loss of your father. Thinking of you all sending hugs and our deepest sympathies
I also graduated from Berthold High School with Roger. It is a pleasure to have been a classmate of his. Roger was a kind, always pleasant, friendly guy that was a friend to everyone. Roger will be missed.
Roger – You were the best!. Loved your sense of adventure. It was great to work with you over 20 years. We always appreciated your common sense which is sadly lacking in today’s world. Where ever you are, I hope they are biting. Fish on.
I had a lot of respect for Roger, he was a very calm and wise man. He was so knowledgeable, reasonable and helpful. A genuinely great guy who will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Rest in Peace Roger.