From Senator Thad Cochran's website:
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visit link)
"Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, our State of Mississippi lost one of its finest citizens when Virginia Wagner of Bay St. Louis died last week.
I ask that the article entitled “Virginia Wagner Left Legacy of Generosity” which was posted by the Sun Herald in Gulfport, MS, be printed in the RECORD.
The article is an excellent tribute to the life and legacy of one of our State's finest citizens.
She and her family are in our thoughts and prayers.
The information follows.
Virginia Wagner Left Legacy of Generosity
(By Michael Newsom)
Bay St. Louis resident Virginia Wagner--member of a prominent Hancock County family known for good deeds--died Monday. Friends said she left her own legacy of generosity.
Wagner was the daughter of Leo W. Seal Sr. and Rebecca Baxter Seal, and also the younger sister of the late Leo W. Seal Jr., a well-known Coast philanthropist, businessman and community leader. Wagner, 81, died Monday morning, a few days after a fall at her home. Her husband, Fred Wagner, said his “extraordinary” wife spent her life helping others.
“She was from a distinguished family who valued public service and helping other people and looking for opportunities to be responsible citizens,” he said. “There was a heritage of that in her family. Her brother was very much that way and her mother and father were very much that way. She constantly was interested in and concerned about others. You don't see that kind of philosophy often. A great part of it was her spiritual heritage and her faith. She was a committed Christian.”
Fred and Virginia met in the early 1950s when they both lived in New Orleans. A mutual friend introduced them and 57 years after their marriage, Fred Wagner remembered his wife Monday when speaking to the Sun Herald as “absolutely the most wonderful wife any man could ask for” and “a wonderful mother to our children.”
Her daughter, Lisa Yearwood, said that even into her 80s, Virginia Wagner kept a social calendar that would rival most people 60 years younger. She kept recent letters from her mother that laid out her entire week's plans that involved meetings, charity work and other engagements. The writings serve as a testament to her tirelessness.
“She was not a typical 81-year-old lady,” Yearwood said.
Yearwood said she would remember her mother for the way she treated others--something she tries to mimic.
“She was amazingly welcoming and hospitable,” Yearwood said. “That was across the board. Whether that was with a waiter in a restaurant or people in Washington, it didn't matter. She was incredibly loving and welcoming and I hope I picked that up from her.”
She kept a busy schedule. In May, Wagner worked a booth at the Bay Bridge Fest selling T-shirts, despite the sweltering temperatures. She was a member of Gulf Coast Blessings, a women's Bible study group. Years ago, Wagner and others began teaching children how to swim and that evolved into a swim team that competed in events across the state. She was also an avid tennis player in the 1950s and 1960s--at a time when her husband said there weren't many others on the Coast playing the sport. She worked as a chaperone for the Miss USA pageant when it was held on the Coast for several years in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Virginia Wagner also organized a Mardi Gras marching club known as “The Marching Fools From Istanbul” and she carried a silver whistle that helped her keep the group in line.
“She was a fun person and she was always in charge,” Fred Wagner said.
Friend Carrie Rester said she will remember Virginia Wagner's generosity and “giving heart.”
“She loved people and wanted to share that love whether it was with a birthday card, inviting people into her home, delivering a treat she made or checking in by phone or email,” Rester said. “She was always thinking about others, going the extra mile for her friends and family.”"
The text of the marker reads:
This Flagpole and Flag
Erected in Loving Memory
_________________________
VIRGINIA SEAL WAGNER
12-7-29 7-4-11
Native Daughter
Responsive Citizen
Christian Mentor
Patriotic Example
Gracious Wife & Mother