Overview

• Hagerty died Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Grand Forks at age 99, with her children confirming the cause as complications of a recent stroke.
• Funeral arrangements have been set for Oct. 6, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
• A Grand Forks Herald mainstay for nearly 70 years, she began reporting as a teenager in South Dakota and continued contributing columns through October 2024.
• Her 2012 review of the city’s new Olive Garden—praising the chicken Alfredo as “warm and comforting on a cold day” and noting the décor—became a national sensation.
• Anthony Bourdain publicly championed her, then published a collection of her columns with his foreword; she later appeared on multiple national TV shows, guest-judged Top Chef, received the Al Neuharth Award, and was honored locally with a city lift station named for her in 2002.