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Bernadette Hagerty

September 7, 1920 - August 11, 2015
Caledonia formerly of Kalamazoo, MI

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Service

Saturday, August 29, 2015
10:00 AM EDT
St. Augustine Cathedral
542 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
(269) 345-5147

Burial will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Kalamazoo.

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo
1000 West Kilgore Road
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
(269) 381-2646
Web Site

St. Thomas the Apostle Grand Rapids Education Foundation
1429 Wilcox Park Drive, SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
(616) 458-4228
Web Site

Flowers


Below is the contact information for a florist recommended by the funeral home.

Ambati
1830 S. Westnedge
Kalamazoo, MI 49008
(269) 349-4961
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


Print

Bernadette K. Hagerty, age 94, passed peacefully August 11, 2015. Always proud to be a Kalamazoo-an, she moved to Caledonia in 2008 to share her life with her family. Even through illness, she was a woman of grace whose smile touched the hearts of all who came to visit. That smile was most notably occasioned by visits from her beloved great-grandchildren, Anthony, Claire, and Margaret. Bernadette experienced as a young woman the adversities brought about by the Great Depression and WWII. These challenges combined with experiences in international travel and an ardent curiosity formed her into a strong, compassionate adult who experienced her whole life a desire to care for and care about others. This was demonstrated in each stage of her life, from Emeritus leadership in the Kalamazoo College Class of 1942, to participation in the Women’s League of Kalamazoo, to baking cookies for funeral luncheons at St. Thomas the Apostle in Grand Rapids as recently as this past Spring. Volunteerism was the common thread woven throughout her life, and it was shared from the time she married Donald Hagerty in 1955. They worked side by side in activities with the Knights of Columbus, volunteered with the Saint Vincent DePaul Society, were avid supporters of the mission of the Sisters of Saint Joseph at Nazareth, MI, and faithfully supported Catholic education through dedicated hours of volunteerism at Hackett Catholic Central. Bernadette was additionally dedicated to hospital ministry with the Borgess Service League, and an avid political activist who voiced her concerns through letters to Congress and always exercised her right to vote. Bernadette is survived by her daughter Martha and son in-law Charles Rushmore; grandsons: Andrew Rushmore and Keagan (Emily) Rushmore; and three great grandchildren: Anthony, Claire and Margaret Rushmore; her sister, Dorothy (Don) Schulte of Grand Blanc; nephew, Donald (Julie) Schulte; nieces: Mary Jo (Tom) Smith, Lou Ann (Thom) Lagrasso, Mary Hagerty (Larry) Dougherty, and Margaret E. Hagerty. Family and friends are invited to celebrate Mass of Christian Burial at the Cathedral of St. Augustine on Saturday August 29, 2015 at 10:00 am. You are encouraged, in lieu of flowers, to join Bernadette in her lifelong support of Catholic Education through a contribution in her name to the Catholic Schools of Greater Kalamazoo, or the St. Thomas the Apostle Grand Rapids Education Foundation. Arrangements have been caringly made with Life Story Funeral Homes, Betzler – Kalamazoo; 6080 Stadium Drive, 375-2900, where you may request further information. Please visit Bernadette’s personal web site at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a favorite memory or photo and sign the guestbook.