Catherine Ellen Wagner

Catherine Ellen Wagner (nee Raef) peacefully departed this life in the company of her family on December 18, following a short but difficult battle with ALS.  She is survived by her loving husband of 68 years, Jon (Greg) Wagner, two children, five grandchildren and eight grandchildren.

Catherine, affectionately known as “Kay” to friends and loved ones, grew up in Arlington Heights, Illinois. That was where she met Jon in her sophomore year at Arlington Heights High School, and they shared a love of history and the Jitterbug. Kay and Jon married in 1957. Both attended Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, and Kay went on to earn three master’s degrees from Pacific Lutheran University in Parkland, Washington.  

Kay and Jon raised two children and made many moves during Jon’s career with the Air Force.  Their final duty station was in Tacoma, Washington, where they fell in love with the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, setting down roots in their home at “Wagner’s Woods” for more than 40 years. 

She spent more than 20 years as a Music Therapist at Western State Hospital, also serving as the chapel organist for several decades at Madigan Army Hospital’s chapel and at the Veterans Administration facility near Tacoma. 

A lover of birds, Kay rescued more than 20 exotic birds over the years, rehabilitating and rehoming unwanted parrots. The wild bird feeders in her yard were never empty.

Kay leaves behind a legacy of love in her two children, Mary Nogare and Kenneth Wagner, living tributes to her love, and prowess as a mother.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that expressions of sympathy be shared with the ALS Association, or to places Kay held dear -  Flying Colors Aviary,  Oasis Bird Sanctuary or Northwest Trek.  

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Catherine Ellen Wagner, please visit our floral store.