Marjorie "Marge" Wagner

Marjorie J. “Marge” Wagner, age 89 of Sauk Centre, died peacefully surrounded by family on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 at Alomere Health Hospital in Alexandria, Minnesota.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, February 29, at First Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Becky Thomas officiating. Interment will be Greenwood Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre and from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the church.

Marjorie Jean Smith was born on January 19, 1931 in Marion, North Dakota to Christ and Myrtle (Kankelfritz) Smith. She graduated from Marion High School in 1949. Leading the 1949 Marion Eagles Girls Basketball team as their Captain to their state championship win! Her brother Kenny happened to be the Captain of the boys’ team and they took 2nd place! Marge moved to Sauk Centre in 1976 working as a food inspector for the USDA. She also cooked at the Red Carpet and was a substitute mail carrier. When Marge “retired” she worked at Walmart in Sauk Centre as one of their first greeters. She often bragged that she loved this job the most because everyone coming in gave her a hug!

Marge was a member of First Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. To list a few of her honors; she was one of the founding members of the Sauk Centre Auxiliary Post 3847 and a Past President of Sauk Centre, the District 3 Past President of the F.O.E., and the current Junior Past President for the Alexandria Auxiliary Post 3063.

She enjoyed playing cards (often having an ace up her sleeve), reading, and baking. She was known and loved for her Texas Brownies, Carrot Bars, Banana Bars, and Peanut Brittle. Marge is known as the Buckeye Grandma, having rolled thousands of Buckeyes to send throughout the US and overseas to the Troops and her Norwegian Granddaughter. She also had the best fried chicken in the world.

Survivors include her children, Debra Wagner (Geo Doege) of Long Prairie, Dawn (Doug) Rederer of Lakeville, and Diane (Mike) Rohde of Upsala; 12 grandchildren, Tammy (Ronnie) Lawrence of Frazee, Heidi (Mike) Sonnenberg of Virginia Beach, Mitchell (Theresa) Wagner of Perham, Mishanda Wojciechowski of MT, Nick (Missy) Wagner of Long Prairie, Shawn Rische of Browerville, Chad (Kayla) Rische of Milan, Dylan Rederer of St. Cloud, Lindsey Rederer of  Lakeville, Jay (Megan) Blenker of Upsala, Trista (Scott) Schmiesing of  Sauk Centre and Terry (Missy) Rohde of Albany; 16 great-grandchildren; 4 great-great-grandchildren; and brothers, Eugene (Audrey) Smith of Marion, ND and Donald (Norma) Smith of Frazee.

Marge was preceded in death by her parents; sons, Michael and Johnnie Wagner; grandson, Matthew Wagner; daughter-in-law, Pam Wagner; brothers, Kenneth, Henry, Ray, and Ross Smith; and sister, Helen Corneliussen.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to First Lutheran Church or Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Serving as casket bearers will be Mitchell Wagner, Nick Wagner, Shawn Rische, Chad Rische, Dylan Rederer, Jay Blenker, Scott Schmiesing, and Terry Rohde. Honorary casket bearers will be Tammy Lawrence, Heidi Sonnenberg, Mishanda Wojciechowski, Lindsey Rederer, and Trista Schmiesing.