Diane M. Hagemeister

1952 - 2014

Diane Marie Hagemeister, age 62, passed away quietly in her home in Anchorage, Alaska on July 15, 2014, after a long battle with cancer. Diane was born in 1952 in Almont, Michigan to Marlyn and Shirley Hagemeister, graduated from Emily City High School and attended Michigan State University and University of Alaska, Anchorage. When Diane acquired an Oldsmobile 98 from her Grandmother, she immediately headed to California to become an interior designer. Along the way Diane got her realtor license. The urge to see Alaska hit so in 1989 Diane loaded the Olds and headed north. Diane found the Promised Land in Alaska, started a career in banking and was working for North Rim Bank when she died. An aspiring writer, Diane self-published a cookbook called Pocket Quick Bread, designed in her words, "to bring in that 'little extra money' to pay for work" on her other passion, her home. Active in Alaska Sisters in Crime and a writing group, Diane was working on a mystery novel with a "crime solver who has shown herself to have a strong soul and several stories to tell." This is an apt description of Diane herself. As part of the AKSinC team, Diane handled registration for both Left Coast Crime 2001 and Bouchercon 2007, both held in Anchorage. Diane is survived by her mother Shirley Hagemeister of North Branch, Michigan; her sister Dawn Hagemeister of Lapeer County, Michigan; and her brother Keith Hagemeister, his wife Cindi, their sons Ryan and Taylor; and her many Alaskan friends. Her father Marlyn Hagemeister predeceased her. A Celebration of Life and Potluck will be held at Kincaid Outdoor Center, Monday August 25 from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m.