Janice June (Ostwald) Wagner, 85, of Aurora, passed away April 19, 2018.

Janice was born on June 30, 1932 to William and Mayme (Keller) Ostwald. She was the youngest of four siblings and the only sister to Clarence, William and Elmer. As a child she loved “playing school” and would line up her dolls to “teach” them, finding various ways to amuse herself while her Mother took care of her Father and worked in the family’s corner grocery and convenience store. In later years, she would also help in caring for her father, as well as in the store working the deli counter. She loved school and was an active participant in school activities. Being a member of the “Drama Dabblers” at Pine Hill High School, she enjoyed playing parts in the school plays. She also loved sports, participating in field hockey and basketball. She took piano lessons and loved to sing in choir. A favorite past time was going to the beach with her girlfriends. Mom met her future husband, a carpenter with his family's construction business, while in High School. They dated and fell in love. Mom’s idea of a great date meal was a charbroiled hot dog from Ja-Fa-Fa hots, with a dill pickle and chocolate milk. Dad was fortunate, Mom enjoyed the simpler things in life! She graduated High school with Honors in 1950 and continued to help out in the family store. She also had aspirations to go into the field of Nursing.

In August of 1951 Dad was drafted into the Army and Mom traveled to Little Rock Arkansas to visit him during his training. On a brief period of military leave, they were married December 29th of the same year. Dad was sent off to the Korean War and Mom kept herself busy waiting for his return. Upon Dad's return, they started their family. Mom picked out a lot in Elma and Dad built them a beautiful home.

Mom was the consummate housekeeper and loved life in the country. She enjoyed tending her huge vegetable and berry garden, canning, and taking care of her family. Being members of Annunciation Church, Mom always made sure the family was in attendance. Dad, with Michael A. Wagner & Sons, actually built this church in 1969 to 1970. Mom was both a Den-Mother for her son’s Cub Scouts, as well as an Assistant Leader for the Brownies/Girl Scouts in her daughter’s troop. The troops gathered at the Wagner house for weekend long campouts to earn various badges and for cooking and crafting. When she was not busy being a housewife, you could hear her playing the organ and singing along. When the windows were open melodies would drift thru the neighborhood. She was a very private person, but she loved entertaining in her home and going on family picnics. She cherished her friendships with the Duzen's, Gates, Hildebrand's, Millers, and Ryans, as well as her close neighbors, the Kwiatkowski's and the Taber's with whom she and Dad shared many laughs and good times. Mom also loved to share in the duties of watching over the neighborhood children with Mrs. Kindt, their next-door neighbor, when the kids gathered in the backyard for games of softball, baseball or kickball.

Mom loved sewing, crocheting and knitting. Many lovely handmade sweaters, baby clothes and doll clothes, blankets, ponchos, scarves, mittens, doilies and slippers were created and gifted to people through the years. She also could be found remodeling the bathroom, finishing the garage, dry walling and painting the house on ladders and scaffolding. No matter what project she was working on, she always managed to have dinner on the table.

After 20 years of marriage Mom entered the workforce as a Certified Nurse’s Aide, finally getting to work in her passion to care for others. Her first assignment was at Manor Oak Nursing Home for a short time and she then transferred to Garden Gate Manor, where she worked until retirement. She loved caring for her patients, they all had a special place in her heart. She also took on extra private-duty assignments. She threw her heart and soul into patient care as it gave her great happiness and filled the void when her children left the nest. She retired from her life’s work and moved into the Aurora, Colorado area to be close to her daughter and family there.

Being retired now, she found other ways to keep busy. She became an avid TV watcher of the PBS shows of artists Bob Ross and Jerry Yarnell, learning acrylic/oil and watercolor painting. With her new self-taught talent, Mom created many beautiful hand-painted works of wall-art, as well as hand-painted wineglasses, candles and vases. She was a woman of many talents!

Mom had a funny sense of humor. One Halloween she dressed up as Pocahontas complete with wig and moccasins to pass out candy to the neighborhood children, startling the kids when she opened the door! She befriended a young Mexican immigrant child in her building who barely spoke English, teaching her how to crochet. When an acquaintance in her apartment building was ill, she would make them soup or a sandwich or run to the store for them. She would help craft Christmas items for a school bazaar to raise money for her granddaughter’s cheerleading squad. Mom was a believer in fixing things instead of throwing them out, a throwback that she says was to the time of the Great Depression. Being raised that you made do with what you have and appreciate the value of a penny.

In Colorado Mom enjoyed spending time with her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. She was thrilled to be able to attend her grandkids school concerts, sports functions and plays. It reminded her of her own youth and she lived it all again through them. She was especially happy that she was able to be part of some of her great-grandchildren’s lives, playing with them, reading to them, watching them learn to walk, start to talk, and grow. She especially found a lot of joy in teaching her first born great-grandson how to say Ho Ho Ho at his first Christmas and was so excited when he was able to repeat it for the first time! She had the greatest laugh at his first attempts and his own excitement at being able to say it! While living with her daughter, she was able to spend time daily with great-grandbaby Maeleigha and found the joy of being a grandparent all over again. She spent hours coloring and drawing and singing with her little playmate who made her eyes twinkle.

Mom always missed home after moving to Colorado, especially her sons and their families. Working hard for so many years, she missed out on a lot of family time with her grandchildren here. As often as she could, she would travel back to Buffalo to see everyone and to eat all the Buffalo food that she loved and missed. She loved her daughters-in-law and enjoyed her special friendship with Trudy. There were trips to the dollar stores, painting projects on rocks for our gardens and of course Mom enjoyed cooking and baking. She always made her mother's apple kuchen delivering some for Uncle Clarence to enjoy too.

Mom was so very proud of her children and their many talents. She often spoke of her sons with their knowledge and gifted hands to construct high quality buildings and masonry. They had inherited their father’s gifts she often said. She praised her daughter’s knowledge and ability which would later prove to help her navigate her health-care and living issues. She felt that her children were her greatest achievement.

In 2014 Mom received the diagnosis of lung cancer and surprised everyone, including her doctors, with her strength and resiliency as she battled this illness. In her faith, Mom had no fear and always knew Jesus was waiting to meet her, along with those she loved and had already lost. She kept a favorite picture of Jesus, “Sallman’s Head of Christ,” mounted in her kitchen and sent up many fervent Prayers and Novenas through the years, especially for her children.

Mom, we know you are home now in heaven, without pain or suffering and with Our Lord, Jesus. You will be dearly missed. We love you and will forever hold you close in our hearts. We are thankful to God for the gift of a wonderful Mother, friend and caring person.

Janice is survived by her daughter, Darlene (Virgil) Bailey; two sons, Richard M. Wagner, Robert W. (Adrienne) Wagner; seven grandchildren, Clairice, Kimberly, Hellena, Jennifer, Ashley, Brandon, and Andrew; seven great-grandchildren, Jalonie, Nyalah, Schamara, Maeleigha, Ethan, Evan, and Aleena; brother, Clarence Ostwald; four nieces, JoAnn, Nancy, Jackie, and Gail; two nephews, Bill and Bob; and a host of great nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, William and Mayme Ostwald; husband, Richard C. Wagner; grandson, Robert W. Wagner Jr; brothers, William (Edna) Ostwald and Elmer Ostwald; and sister-in-law, Connie Ostwald.

To share a memory of Janice or leave a special condolence message for her family, please click the Share Memories button above.