Lori Jean Hagen

Lori Jean Hagen, age 69, died peacefully at Agrace in Fitchburg as the sun set on February 18th, 2026. Lori was born on October 14th, 1956, in Crosby, Minnesota, to parents Alice (Ruschmeyer) and James Wenzel.

Lori was raised in Minnesota and moved to the southern Wisconsin area in her early adulthood with the eldest of her daughters, Dixi. Her family continued to grow as she had her second child, Gwendolyn, and later Aija and Nikki. Lori was never one to stay pinned down in one place.

Whether it was her career or where she called home, she was not the kind of person to hold back or shy away from something new and novel.

Lori tried her hand at many careers, and working with said hands was what she enjoyed best. She loved working at ETC, Nicolet, Zoll, and GE. She enjoyed anything to do with assembly and, more specifically, soldering, was her particular favorite task to accomplish at work.

Lori's handiness was not only helpful in her work, but also at home. She was quite talented at managing projects on her own. Whether she was building herself a new raised garden bed or renovating something in her house, the result was always impressive. Her collection of tools enabled her to complete heaps of projects independently, and it came to her with ease as she had quite a knack for problem-solving.

In her free time, Lori was an avid gardener. Throughout her life, she kept lush gardens of flowers and vegetables that she could often be found tending to while barefoot. The outdoors called to her, just like the songs of the local birds that flocked to her feeders. The only thing fuller than her birdfeeders were the bellies of the squirrels that she tried to chase off to no avail. A favorite spot of hers was Jack & Dick's Feed and Garden, where she would stock up to keep the local wildlife well fed.

Her love of the outdoors was instilled in her children. Her connection with nature was gained from her parents, and she made a great effort to inspire that same love in her daughters. Her trips to Washington to visit her daughter Aija enabled her to visit the mountains, and a trip to Arizona with her daughters Nikki and Dixi gave her the chance to experience arid deserts. Her gardening skills were passed to Gwendolyn, whose gardens bring back memories of Lori's delicious tomatoes, homegrown and straight off the vine. The vegetables from her garden often found their way into dinners made up for her girls. Her signature dish was a pork chop dinner with mashed potatoes and plenty of butter, and if you were lucky, a Toll House pie for dessert.

Lori loved animals, just maybe not so much the squirrels. Horses were her favorite animal, though chickens and cats were close behind in the ranking. Her pets were always so dear to her, and she had numerous different kinds. Lor, her palomino horse, was a particular favorite of hers, though she had many horses throughout her life. Another significant pet was Jake the schnauzer-poodle, who was her best friend for the last 14 years until his recent passing. He went everywhere with her from the point she took him in, and that was a common theme for her. Lori took in many animals that were in need of new homes, which spoke to her desire to help those in need.

The family would like to recognize the amazing and compassionate care of all of the medical professionals who were involved in Lori's care. When she received her cancer diagnosis in late 2022, and she had undergone surgery to remove the affected area of her bowel, she and her family thought that chapter had closed. Unfortunately, in January of 2025, she discovered that was not the case, and she underwent a series of surgeries in an attempt to treat her cancer.

Notably, General Surgeon Dr. Greg Matzke provided an extremely risky and life saving surgery to remove a tumor, followed by Vascular Surgeon David DeAngeles saving her life from a rapidly growing aneurysm. Nine months later on New Years Eve, Agrace stepped in with exceptional kindness and tenderness as she transitioned to hospice care. Nurse Nimmer from Agrace made an incredible impression on the family with his kindhearted nature and advocacy for Lori.

Lori was not the kind of person to let it show when she was struggling, but her diagnosis had given her no choice but to let those around her see how it had shaken her. However, Lori took her diagnosis with grace and, with the sense of humor that she and her daughters shared, she laughed her way through the tears. She was always thankful to those around her for any help they offered. Gratitude may have been the most expressed thing in her last few weeks with her family, only beaten out by one thing. Lori could not say enough how proud she was of her children. She noted that her favorite years were those in which her children were born. Although her relationships with her daughters were not always easy and often quite complicated, she couldn't have been more proud of the resilient, kind, and independent women that they have become. Lori's greatest pride was her children, but her second was her sobriety of 12 years after a lifelong struggle with alcoholism.

Lori had several beliefs in life that she worked to impress upon her daughters. First, as mentioned before, enjoy the outdoors. Live in it, walk in it (preferably barefoot), and experience it. Second, never lose your childlike curiosity for the world. Your ability to see the world through eyes with wonder and to marvel at it is incredibly important. See the world, take the time to enjoy the sight of birds outside your window, and laugh when you are faced with hardship.

Lori is survived by her daughters, Dixi Campbell, Gwendolyn Bellisle (Jason), Aija Daley, Nikki Hagen (Bryce Haupt); her grandsons, Bowen Brunner (Emily), Maxwell Brunner (Bridget Wermuth), Archer Brunner, and her siblings Linda Mills (Allan), Sherry Jeurissen, Steve Wenzel (Jodi), Valerie Vervoort (Charles), and Kit Gohre. She is further survived by many additional loving family members and friends. Of those many friends, Diane Jensen and her son Chris Kettle have become like a second family to Lori, and their care for her was indisputable.

A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in her honor to Agrace or to Gentle Giants Horse Rescue.