RuthAnn Juliene (Wall) Hagen, 76, died on Sunday, September 17, 2017 at the Brown County Hospital in Ainsworth, Nebraska, after an 18 month fight with cancer. Kitty, as everyone called her, was born March 6, 1941 in Watertown, South Dakota, to Pedar Melvin and Ruth Emma (Foster) Wall. She was welcomed home by sister, Marion Dorothy and brother, Melvin Danny.

Kitty lived all of her childhood in New Effington, South Dakota, where she helped in the family’s grocery store, Wall’s “Our Family” Foods. She attended school in New Effington, and was active in many school activities, including band, chorus, pep club, yearbook, and the school paper. Kitty would borrow her dad’s car and her friends would kick in money for gas and the girls would drive to “The Ranch” to go dancing each week. Kitty graduated as the valedictorian of her class in May 1959 and received her diploma from her father Melvin, the school board president. Melvin was very proud to say that he had presented each of his children their diplomas and that all three were their class valedictorians.

Kitty met Fred Hagen at a dance at the Sisseton Armory during the summer of 1959. That fall she attended Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen, SD majoring in math and business education. She graduated in 1963 and contracted to teach at the school in Sisseton. On August 18, 1963, she was united in marriage to Fredrick Noel Hagen in the high school gymnasium in New Effington. Due to two churches merging and the construction of a new building, Kitty and Fred were the only couple married in the New Effington High School gymnasium. This union was blessed with four children: Juliene Ann, Pauline Marie, Paul Alfred and Emalene Joy.

In 1966, Kitty made the decision not to renew her teaching contract as she and Fred were anxiously awaiting the birth of their firstborn daughter, Juliene Ann. In 1968, Fred and Kitty moved their little family to Ainsworth, Nebraska and Kitty began subbing at the school. In 1970 they moved to Springview, NE and in 1971, they were blessed with the birth of their second daughter, Pauline Marie. 1972 brought the family of four back to Ainsworth so Juli could start Kindergarten. In 1973, while they were visiting family in Missouri, their daughter, Pauline, passed away. This was a devastating blow to their entire family as Kitty’s mother had just passed away 7 ½ weeks earlier. That fall, Kitty accepted a position at Ainsworth High School teaching general science for one year. That spring, on Kitty’s 33rd birthday, they were blessed with a son, Paul Alfred. Nine weeks later they completed their family with the birth of their youngest daughter, Emalene Joy.

Kitty officially started her teaching career at Ainsworth High School in 1975. She shared a teaching position with Betty Zink and they both taught math half of each day and were able to spend the other half of the day at home with their children. In 1982, she began doing taxes at Sandhills Tax Service. She enjoyed working with numbers everyday, but she always said “I don’t do cows…they’re all for Homer!” At some point, her teaching day changed from ½ time to ¾ time and in 1991 she switched to teaching full-time, which made her very happy. She was a motivator, an inspiration and a positive influence to many students that weren’t sure what they wanted to do after they graduated.

Kitty retired from teaching in 2008 and began her new career as a regular substitute teacher at Ainsworth High School. Just before winter in 2008, the empty nesters moved to “the Ponderosa Ranch,” the acreage they bought with Juli & Bryan just south of town. She started doing taxes on her own in her office at the ranch. In 2010, she was asked to come back to fill a vacated math position right before the school year started. She really enjoyed this little interlude to her retirement. Kitty spent most of her days doing the things that she loved…reading, crocheting, spending time with the love of her life, Fred, and being a grandma to her seven grandchildren and great-grandson. She always made sure that she and Fred spent time with each of them and attended as many of their school activities as possible. Not only did her grandchildren call her Grandma Kitty, their friends all came to know her as Grandma Kitty, and she loved each and every one of them.

When Kitty’s sister, Dorothy, passed away in 1999, Kitty was honored to become a grandmother to for her sister’s four grandchildren, Alex, Andrea, Katelyn and Keenan. Since then, her grandma duties tripled with the addition of Logan, Kai, Madison, Austin, Kian, Zackery, Kristoffer and Dillon. Grandma Kitty lovingly welcomed each of them into her family.

Kitty was baptized in the New Effington Zion Lutheran Church as a small child. The church was always a very important part of Kitty’s life. When she and Fred moved to Nebraska, they began attending the Methodist Church, in both Ainsworth and Springview. They transferred their membership to the Ainsworth United Methodist Church in 1973. Kitty served on many committees in the church over the years.

Kitty was initiated into the Sisseton Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star in 1964. She was Worthy Matron of the Chapter in Long Pine in 1970 and of Bethany Chapter #113 in 1989. Juli presented Kitty with her 50-year pin in 2014. Kitty was the treasurer for many organizations that were near and dear to her heart, including Evergreen Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Alpha Delta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma (teacher’s sorority), the Brown County Arts Council, and the Ainsworth Temple Craft Association. She has also been the Bethel Guardian Secretary for Bethel #37 Job’s Daughters International since 1979.

Surviving her are her husband of 54 years, Fred; daughter, Juli (Bryan) Murphy of Ainsworth; son, Paul (Jennifer) Hagen of St. Paul, Nebraska; and daughter, Emmy (Dan) Fiala of Aurora, Nebraska; grandchildren: Ashley Victoria Murphy, Kearney, NE; Hayley Clarissa Murphy, Kearney, NE; Marley Juliene Murphy, Ainsworth; Kane Daniel Fiala, Aurora, NE; Kole Milo Fiala, Aurora, NE; Brandt Kaleb Murphy, Ainsworth; Isaac Noel Hagen, St. Paul, NE; and great-grandson, Teague Bryan Murphy Braun, Kearney, NE; brother and sister-in-law, Danny & Alvina Wall of Salt Lake City, Utah; nieces & nephews: Alan Isom, Camdenton, MO; Leigh Wall, Marquette, MI; Marian Rader, Kansas City, MO; James Isom, Lake Ozark, MO; Daniel Wall, Miami, FL; Melanie King, Orlando, FL; and Heather Isom-Shafé, Weatherby Lake, MO.

Preceding her in death were daughter, Pauline Hagen; her parents Melvin & Ruth Wall; parents-in-law, Edwin & Palmina Hagen; sister & brother-in-law Dorothy & Art Isom; brothers-in-law, Edwin Hagen, Jr., Kervyn Hagen and Glenn Smith; and her grandparents, many uncles, aunts and several cousins.
Funeral services were held at 10:30 Saturday, September 23, 2017 at the United Methodist Church in Ainsworth, NE and graveside services were held at 2pm, Sunday, September 24, 2017 at Sisseton Cemetery in Sisseton, SD. Holmes Funeral Home of Valentine, NE and Cahill Funeral Home of Sisseton, SD were entrusted with the arrangements.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ruth Ann J. "Kitty" Hagen (Wall), please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Affiliations