[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 5, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S4329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING VIRGINIA WAGNER

 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.''

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