Margo Jane Askin

Margo J. Askin (Muggli-Hassebrock), 82, of Barnesville, Minnesota died on June 24, 2026 under the care of her family and HIA Hospice.

Margo J. Askin was born on March 23, 1944 to Angelica and Gerard Muggli. She was the 10 year junior caboose to seven siblings. She was raised in Beach, a small town in western North Dakota and there started her lifelong love of the prairie and the badlands. This was also where she proudly became (albeit self proclaimed) the President of the Beach Chapter of the Elvis Presley Fan Club.

Margo went to college at Dickinson State University. She failed badminton, was counseled out of a degree in math, but absolutely found her perfect place in English and mass communication. She would later recall that her aversion to canned tuna began in the one bedroom apartment she shared with 3 other girls.

Upon graduating, Margo married Harlin Hassebrock and started working for the Dickinson Press. She loved her job as a reporter and photographer. The couple soon added a daughter, Amy, and two sons, David and Curtis, to their family. Camping, drive-in movies, summer family swims at the local pool, and attending family get togethers were the norm. Margo and Harlin divorced in later years, but the family bonds that were created held strong. They lovingly “co-parented” before that became a buzz word.

Finding herself single in her mid 30’s, Margo and friends went to a local establishment where the bouncer tried out his very suave line on her, “May I see your ID please?” (We assume there was a wink involved, too!) Well it worked. Terry and Margo were smitten with each other and after a year or so of dating, they were wed in 1980. Our families were united, adding his children Corey and Kelli to create our new blended family. Terry and Margo had a wonderful married life. They were both quite musical. Terry played the drums in a band called the “Unknowns” in high school (think “Beatles” of Western Montana). He was later in a band called the Country Cactus. Margo played the piano and sang beautifully, often breaking into song at random times during family gatherings. Margo and Terry sure could cut a rug and went out dancing often. The couple also enjoyed traveling, hiking in state and national parks, going to activities supporting their grandkids, and spoiling their favorite child; a golden doodle named Dottie. At 5:00pm daily, as in the movie Rain Man, the couple sat down to watch Jeopardy with wine, cheese and crackers. Don’t bother calling during this time. It would not be answered. In their retired life, Margo and Terry were active and passionate volunteers for the American Red Cross and Furniture mission of the Red River Valley in Fargo, ND. Margo also was a volunteer with Barnesville Area Helpers.

Margo had a lifetime love affair with all things lemon, apple kuchen, rhubarb pie, parsnips, chokecherry syrup and poppyseed bread just to name a few. As the daughter of a German from Russia immigrant, if the meal didn’t include butter and/or sour cream was it truly worth eating? She claimed breakfast pie was a perfectly acceptable food to eat in the morning. Who would disagree? Margo and her sister Geri used dessert as a very thin vessel for copious amounts of real whipped cream. Margo even sprayed whipped cream directly into her grandchildren's mouths which is one of their most delightful and precious memories of their Gram. She would often have grandkid sleepovers serving sundaes with all the toppings they could fit in their bowl and the remainder, if any, would go on the pancakes in the morning. She loved all her 14 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren wholeheartedly and unconditionally.

Margo was a wordsmith and avid reader. Her various jobs throughout her lifetime reflected this. She worked numerous years for the local newspaper, became public relations director of the college, was a very successful grant writer, and her favorite job of all was being a public librarian. Her children relished her role as mom. She raised them by modeling kindness, compassion, resilience, confidence and proudly being unapologetically woke.

Her family would like to thank the doctors and staff from Lake Region Healthcare of Barnesville and Fergus Falls. A special note of appreciation goes to the members of Team Margo from the HIA Hospice of Fargo, ND for their tender care and helping us to honor our mother’s wishes.

A private celebration of life will be held by the family. Finally, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation instead to either of her two favorite charities that she supported: God’s Child Project or Heifer International.