Anne Wagner

Anne Marian Wagner, at age 100, died at home at Go Ye Village in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on June 24, 2020. She was born on March 10, 1920, in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota to John N. Johnson and Alma (Grahn) Johnson. She was the fifth child of nine siblings, seven sisters (3 of whom were identical triplets), and 2 brothers, all now deceased. She married her sweetheart, Gerald Donovan Wagner, of Pequot, Minnesota, on June 21, 1941. Together they had six children, 5 daughters, and 1 son. They resided in central Minnesota, primarily Nisswa, until 1977 when they moved to Prescott, Arizona, living there for 21 ½ years, before coming to Go Ye Village in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. They were members of Temple Baptist Church in Brainerd, Minnesota and Nisswa Community Church in Nisswa, Minnesota, First Baptist Church in Prescott, Arizona, before finally worshiping at the Go Ye Village Chapel in Tahlequah Oklahoma.

Anne lived a long and fruitful life. We are thankful to have had both of our dear parents for such an expanse of time. Mom was thoroughly dedicated to her family all the way to her final days. One of her favorite sayings to each of us in the past few years was, “love you more”, and I know she believed that with all her heart. She had the gift of encouragement. She made sure that we were taken care of in every way imaginable, which was not a materialistic indulgent life, but simple provisions and the sometimes taken-for-granted luxury of coming home from school to loving arms and dinner in the making. That, my friends, is somewhat rare anymore. “In the day”, when we were barely grown-up but away from home, she made letter writing an art, and she regularly wrote to each of us, in her perfectly scripted handwriting. She was a “clipper” and each letter contained some little article, a piece of gum or quote she thought we might be interested in. She was fiercely proud of each of us and encouraged us regularly in the gifts God bestowed to us. It was her habit and delight to affirm her love continually to her children, each of whom she saw as precious in their own unique ways.

Anyone who knew her could attest that she was a homemaker extraordinaire; she was another generation’s “Martha Stewart”. Although both our parents were extremely frugal, she was artistic, and that gift came out in her ability to create a beautiful and at times stunning home environment on a shoestring. She kept an immaculate home and did things like iron shoelaces and t-shirts! Everything was done to perfection. Mom was one of the best cooks- not fancy, but if it was meatloaf or a roast or a cake, or cinnamon rolls, or even a fried egg, it was about the best-tasting food you could ever remember eating. She sewed clothes for her children, and curtains, she knitted scarves and mittens, mended socks, and hemmed garments precisely, made lovely flower arrangements- in short- she was good at anything she put her mind to. She and our dad loved creating beautiful flower gardens and landscapes wherever they lived. She was hospitable and we often had guests for dinner for sumptuous meals. More importantly, she was always thinking of her family and others before herself. She was a kind woman, and you would not find her talking about anyone behind their back- she simply did not do that. And, she loved her Lord and Savior. She loved the Word of God and hymns of the faith. Her beautiful voice with its slight vibrato could often be heard softly singing fragments of her favorite hymns. When Dad went home to be with the Lord, she felt a little lost, but we rejoice in knowing that those days are behind her and that all has been made beautiful in His time. She will be sorely missed and remembered always!

Anne was preceded in death by her parents and siblings and her sons-in-law, E. Dwayne Petersen and Harley E. Doubét.

She is survived by a loving family, which includes five daughters and sons-in-law and one son and daughter-in-law. Kathleen Petersen, Nancy Olson, and husband, Brian, Laurel Rostollan and husband, Joseph, Rabenn Inbody and husband, Darryl, Benn Wagner and wife, Karen, and Jackson (Lisa) Anderson and husband, Robert. They are survived by 15 grandchildren Jeffrey (and Lori) Doubét, Scott (and Nancy) Doubét, Harley (and Melissa) Doubét, Julie Murphy, Charissa (and Pat) Malone, Eric Olson, Chad (and Cary Olson), Emily (and Aric) Leach, David (and Megan) Rostollan, Kathleen (and Jimmy) Pendley, Jessica (and Cody) Runnoe and Gray (and Michael) Rivera, James Anderson, Brandy Anderson and Samantha Jones. They are also survived by 27 great-grandchildren. Additionally, they are survived by their dear friends, Nelson and Donna Noell and many other loved friends and relatives, too numerous to mention.

Because of the unprecedented limitations and restrictions caused by the Covid19 pandemic, no services are planned at this time. The family requests gifts and memorials are sent to Go Ye Village Chapel, 1201 W 4th St, Tahlequah, OK 74464, to be disbursed to Go-Ye Village missionaries or Go Ye Chapel, as determined by Chaplain Paul Tavener, unless otherwise designated.