Tamara Dee Hagemeyer

Tamara Dee Hagemeyer “Tami”, our dear sweet wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend returned to our Heavenly Father on the beautiful Saturday morning of January 29^th, 2022, after a 12-year courageous battle of cancer. Tami passed peacefully in her warm and inviting home in Roy, Utah, surrounded with family at her side. Tami was born in Provo, Utah to Gordon Langley Hall and Elizabeth Ann Mehew Hall-Stites on March 27^th, 1969. She was the eldest of 9 children, the wife of Matthew Hagemeyer, and the proud mother of 4 boys and their wives/girlfriends that she treated as her own.

Tami lived every day as if it were her last, her entire lifetime. Tami had such a bubbly personality and treated everyone as her eternal friend. Her most prized possession was her family whom she would serve and communicate with every single day.

As a child Tami loved riding her bike with her brothers to Bobs Army & Navy in Orem to buy candy. She also took great pride in picking up her brothers from Sharon Elementary at the end of the school day and walking home together, going to primary on Wednesdays, and watching Sierra Drive-In movies from their treehouse in the backyard, and playing with the neighborhood friends. At the age of 10, the family would move from Utah to Ottumwa, Iowa, living in a 150yr old home on a 3-acre land with 60 acres of forest behind the property. The family would grow an acre of corn and vegetables that the kids would sell to buy their old-English sheepdog, “Maggie”. Tami led her brothers and sisters on many great adventures in the back-back yard or staying up late at night playing Monopoly in her pink room, or she would sometimes find little rabbits in the yard and secretly care for them in the bottom drawer of her dresser. She loved the Christmases growing up listening to Mom and Dad’s stories of when they were young. Iowa was a time of learning great musical talents of playing the piano and the violin playing in the College school ensemble orchestra. Tami and her siblings learned to work hard from her parents. They would earn money in the summer through contracted work detasseling corn. This experience of working long 16-hour days in the field with little breaks for two weeks at a time would become lifelong lessons of enduring the trials and completing the work no matter how hard the task. #HALLSTRONG4EVER would become a family motto to live by.

At 14yrs old, the family moved to Rockford, Illinois, where Tami started High School, joined the track team for a couple of years and continued in the orchestra playing her violin. During her Senior year at Guilford High, she would meet Matthew Hagemeyer from Jefferson High, through a mutual friend. After several months of hanging out together with friends and late-night runs to Aunt Mary’s for French fries, Tami and Matt would talk to each other over the phone late at night (when phones were still attached to homes) until Tami would fall asleep to Matt’s calming voice. After High School Tami started nursing school at St. Anthony’s School of Nursing. After a year of dating and while attending a graduation get-together, Matt and Tami looked into each other’s eyes and knew they wanted to be together forever. Matt would enlist in the Navy soon after, and they wanted to elope. Tami and Matt decided to tell both sets of parents at the last moment and the moms decided they could put together a wedding in 3 days. Matt and Tami were married March 10^th, 1989, in the Kenosha, WI, courthouse dressed in beautiful attire, a white wedding dress with gold diamonds. Their reception was wonderful! The Moms pulled it off! A year later, on June 15^th, 1990, they were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple.

Tami and Matt would live in Great Lakes, Illinois while enlisted, where Josh was born. They then moved to Southern Illinois University for Matt’s undergrad and graduate school and first year of medical school. During school Sebastian, Anthony, baby Taylor (who passed away shortly after birth), and Elliott were born. They moved back to Springfield where Matt finished his education and then to Rockford for first job with the intent to move closer to family in Utah. They lived and worked in Cheyenne, WY, for a few years before finally moving to Utah.

With a young family, traditions grew such as learning to make incredible pancakes every morning using different flours and recipes. It was never about how many you could eat but more importantly the size of the pancake you could devour. Tami and Matt would often talk of opening a pancake shop. They also had pizza Fridays in their home to create a safe place for her boys and their friends to hang out and have fun. Tami would often receive calls from her Dad and together they would say, “…it’s Friday, Friday, Friday!”.

Tami would find time to attend the temple with her Mom and step-Dad and siblings often while continuing her education at Weber State University in Music. She was studying piano and guitar. She would often play at family reunions and special events. Tami loved her boys and more importantly but not any less her new daughters (thru marriage or girlfriend) whom she would invite into her family as if they were her own giving anything including her time and clothing such as her pink camo jacket. together. Matt and Tami established their own family reunion traditions of skiing and snowboarding on the mountains of Snow Basin. This was a special place where Tami was always so amazed at the earth’s beauty around her as if she were seeing it for the first time each time. It was a lesson of always being grateful for the beautiful workmanship of God’s hand in nature and all around. Tami loved jogging and cycling with Matt and even in between bouts of cancer treatments was always preparing for another personal event such the half marathon she ran in Denver. Tami also loved supporting Matt in his races driving either her Rubi (Jeep) or ‘Lil Blue (Ford RS) and giving him drinks and snacks along the way. She would often show up with enough for the whole team of riders. Tami loved her parents and her Mom was her best friend helping each other drive to doctor’s appointments caring for each other or just to go shopping together. She loved her Mom. Tami devoted time to attend her nieces and nephews’ concerts, baptisms, and special activities. Tami also had many special friends she gained over the years and would often schedule special trips together including her last trip to Disneyland in December. Tami passed in her Disney pajamas with the saying on front, “…be more!” It was so fitting for who Tami was in her life and what she wanted for others. Tami always wanted to become a pilot and fly and did take flight lessons. With cancer treatments she took up car racing instead. Her dream was to fly and that she did! May you ever sore like the beautiful soaring little birdy you’ve become! With love from your family! You will be greatly missed, a treasure in heaven. Your spirit shines on all of us. We are blessed because of how you lived and loved.

Tami’s greatest gift was her testimony that Jesus Christ lives. She was a faithful daughter of God. She served in multiple church callings in Primary, Young Women’s, and Relief Society. She faithfully served others and attended the temple regularly.

Tami was survived by husband, Matthew Adam Hagemeyer, children Joshua (McKell), Sebastian (Shaina), Anthony (Jocelyn), Elliott (Malika), and sister-in-law Monica Durfey. Survived by mother and stepfather, Elizabeth Hall-Stites (Allen), siblings Jeff (Chalese) Hall, Dave (Sherry) Hall, Scott (Lorelle) Hall, Jeremy (Alisha) Hall, Jamie (TJ) Collins, Lisa (Joe) Witruk, Rob (Tiffany) Hall, Kim (Ryan) Barker, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Preceded in death by father, Gordon Hall, mother-in-law, Gail Joan Bartholomew, brother-in-law, Jake Harvey, nephews, Hyrum and William Barker, and Matt and Tami’s sweet baby Taylor.

The family would like to thank the many healthcare doctors, staff workers, and providers for the many years of caring for our Tami. We would especially like to thank Dr. Soisson, and Dr. Werner, at the Huntsman Cancer Center in Salt Lake.

A Public Viewing will be held on Thursday, February 3, 2022 at Leavitt’s Mortuary 836 36^th Street, Ogden, UT  84403 from 5:00pm-8:00pm and Friday, February 4, 2022 from 10:00am-10:45. A family Celebration of Life will be held Friday, February 4, 2022 at Leavitt’s Mortuary from 9:00am-10:00am with the Funeral Service from 11:00am-12:00pm.

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Interment at Leavitt’s Aultorest Memorial Park.