William M. "Bill" Fagerman

Bill Fagerman died on Saturday, 17 October 2026, at Trinity Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his family by his side. He was 77. The cause of death was not made public; his family asked that memorial contributions be made to the American Kidney Foundation.

The Cadillac News reported his death on 20 October 2026 with tributes from local judges and lawyers. Former Wexford County Probate Judge Kenneth Tacoma called him "a really bright guy" who "did the job extremely well but didn't put on any airs about it". Retired 84th District Court Judge David Hogg said he was highly respected as a circuit judge and "a loyal friend", former District Judge Audrey Van Alst said his presence would be missed, and Missaukee County District Judge Melissa Ransom called him one of the finest judges she had worked with or appeared before.

Visitation was arranged for 21 October 2026 at Peterson Funeral and Cremation Services in Cadillac, with the funeral at 11 am on 22 October 2026 at Zion Lutheran Church, Pastor Tom Reinertson officiating, followed by burial at Maple Hill Cemetery in Cadillac.

William Milborn Fagerman, known as Bill, was born on 4 July 1949 in Cadillac, Michigan, to Milborn O. and Gladys E. (Peterson) Fagerman. He grew up in Cadillac and graduated from Cadillac High School in 1967.

He went on to Michigan Technological University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He then worked as an engineer for Michigan Bell, and while holding that job by day he studied law at night at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, a route from engineering to the courtroom that the Cadillac News later highlighted in its coverage of his retirement.

After earning his law degree and passing the bar examination, Fagerman returned to northern Michigan in 1978 to work in a personal injury law practice in Gaylord. He later moved back to Cadillac, where he established a general practice handling criminal, divorce and civil cases, and spent many years as a defense attorney, including work as a public defender. He also served as a circuit court referee handling divorce matters.

His interest in trial work led him into public service as Wexford County prosecuting attorney. He succeeded Kenneth Tacoma, who had held the office from 1990 to 1994, and was appointed to the post by then Circuit Judge Charles Corwin. Corwin later described him as a highly skilled trial attorney who successfully prosecuted numerous serious and high profile criminal cases, including a murder trial. Jason Elmore, who began private practice in Cadillac in 2004 while Fagerman was prosecutor, said he never pushed a case unfairly and dismissed cases when the evidence was insufficient.

On 30 April 2007 Governor Jennifer Granholm appointed Fagerman to the 28th Circuit Court, which serves Wexford and Missaukee counties, to replace Judge Charles Corwin. He won election to a six year term in November 2008 and was re-elected without opposition in November 2014, and he served as chief judge of the 28th Circuit Court and the 84th District Court. Colleagues remembered him arriving prepared and well versed in the law and appellate decisions, and credited him with mentoring attorneys and strengthening legal representation in criminal and civil matters in both counties.

He retired from the bench at the end of 2020. He continued to serve the local courts as a visiting judge, filling in for judges around the region, until he retired fully in 2025.

On 5 September 1970 Fagerman married Brenda L. Struble at Immaculate Conception Church in Traverse City. They had three children, Jason, Melissa and Matt, and four grandchildren.

He was a lifetime member of Zion Lutheran Church in Cadillac and was active there in several ways, including singing in the choir. His family said music and local politics were important to him throughout his life, and that his attention to detail showed in every home project. He was a hunter and a fly fisherman who tied his own flies, played racquetball when he was younger and later enjoyed golf whenever he could. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother Donald, and survived by his wife, children and grandchildren, his sister Joanne Benson and his brother Jerry Fagerman.

Fagerman spent more than four decades in the courts of Wexford and Missaukee counties as defense lawyer, prosecutor and judge, and his colleagues remembered him above all for fairness and integrity. Kenneth Tacoma said he never heard anyone in the practicing bar question Fagerman's integrity or judicial performance. Judge Jason Elmore, who now sits in the same chambers, described him as someone who "could see around corners" and said it was an honor to serve from the same bench. In his own words on retiring in 2020, he hoped to be remembered as someone who worked hard, did a good job and was fair.