Norma Wagner

A service will be held on Monday, June 30, 2014 at 11:00 AM at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Spirit Lake with a visitation to begin at 10:00 AM. A private family interment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, Norma's family prefers memorials that will be forwarded to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation or the Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Norma Maxine Wagner was born on May 12, 1918 in Bagley, Iowa to Frank and Gertie (Klinzman) Sprague. She graduated from Cooper High School in Cooper, Iowa. After high school, Norma married E. Doyle Wagner ("Joe") on December 21, 1936 in Gary, Indiana. Five children were born to this union, Robert, Carol, Jim, Cindy and Mary Jo. The couple lived and farmed in Bagley, Iowa and near Armstrong, Iowa. They also lived in Maple Hill, Iowa where Doyle was postmaster and ran the General Store. In 1990, they moved to Spirit Lake, Iowa. The family has a summer home on Big Spirit Lake (since 1958) which they have enjoyed with family and friends. One of Norma's favorite pastimes was to play music, which she did all by ear. She enjoyed playing the piano, organ, and accordion. She also liked to collect antiques, cross-stitch and needlepoint and play card games. She kept active by playing golf, square dancing, ballroom dancing and line dancing. Norma passed away at the Milford Nursing Center on May 27, 2014 at the age of ninety-six. She was preceded in death by Doyle, her husband of nearly sixty years; son, Robert; parents, Frank and Gertie Sprague and two sisters Frances Holmes and Marjorie Duggins. Surviving Norma are four children, Carol (Larry) Vigdal, James (Carol) Wagner, Cynthia (Mike) Schoning and Mary Jo (Kevin) Brandt; grandchildren, Holly (Kurt) Schultz, Joy (Ron) Christopherson, Julie Swan, Heather (Tino) Scerbo, Adam (Heather) Wagner, Michael (Kristin Cullen) Wempe, Jody (Daron) Buresch and Jordan Brandt; sixteen great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren; several nephews, nieces, and cousins. We are all grateful that she made our lives lovelier by her music, her sense of style, and her artisitic abilities. The family would like to thank the staff of Wel-Cov Assisted Living at Spirit Lake for nearly thirteen years of wonderful care and support of our mom.