MARY ANN WAGNER

Mary Ann E. Wagner, beloved mother, sister, aunt, and grandmother, died on 4th November 2025. Her warmth, kindness, and the love and care she embodied live on.

Born in Norwich, NY, to Angelo and Rose LaGreca, Mary Ann was the eldest of three sisters. She will be remembered as a nurse, a veteran, a cook and caterer, a compassionate manager, and above all, as one who emanated care for those around her.

Mary Ann graduated from High School in 1961 and went on to Niagara University to study nursing. During the end of her time at Niagara, as the country was on the brink of the Vietnam War and looking for more nurses, Mary Ann enlisted in the United States Navy.

Niagara University is also where she met her husband, Joseph Wagner Jr.; they were married in 1966, whilst Mary Ann was still serving as a Vietnam Era nurse off the coast of San Diego. Following her time in the Navy, Mary Ann and Joseph moved to coastal Maine, where her eldest son was born, then settled in Northeast Ohio, where she would spend the next 30 years working and raising her family. In 1990 Mary Ann and Joseph divorced, and Mary Ann continued her life in Ohio until 2001,when she returned to Central New York to be closer to her sisters. She would remain there until 2025, before spending her final year back in Ohio, close to her children.

Mary Ann's life was characterised by the giving of care. At the age of 15, she brought her own Mother to Italy to meet in person Padre Pio; she later served in the US Navy tending to woundedsoldiers as they returned from Vietnam. After leaving the military, she worked as an ER nurse in northeastern Ohio, before finally turning her hand to one of her real passions: food. She was an exceptionally gifted cook, and, true to her Sicilian roots, preparing a meal for others – large or small, for her job or for family and friends – was one of her greatest joys. She took such pleasure in teaching others to cook and sharing the creativity and comfort that food brought. After retiring, much of her time was spent on another of her great passions – animals. She helped run a cat shelter for many years, and absolutely loved her dogs, especially the greyhounds she rescued and cared for until she was no longer able to do so.

Mary Ann was strong and generous, with an extraordinary work ethic, always driven to take care of those around her and those she loved. She possessed a quiet sense of humor, and she was always ready to laugh with others; humble, warm, and loving, she also held a clever wit that was sharp and impressive when she allowed it to shine. Such times were her way of reminding us, thankfully, what always existed at her core: the most compassionate, smart, witty, and kind human there ever was. She also possessed an extraordinary strength and fighter's spirit, at times to her own peril -as she would come to say, she spent too much time wrapped in her own faults (both real and imagined), but the examples of her grit and courage are far too many to even start to name here. Her final fight was to find the courage needed to face her fears and let go – the prospect of which prompted her, in her final weeks, to say with a smile on her face: Rock on!

Above all, Mary Ann was beloved by all: whether for thirty minutes or for a lifetime, she was so often counted as a 'favorite'. This could be from the stranger she met on a 5.15 a.m. train from Cleveland to Utica, to a hotel desk clerk in Lipari, to her nieces and nephews, her children's friends, and her late-life carers. 'I think I only met her once or twice,' one such friend summarized, 'but I feel like I knew her as she was so lovely, warm, open, and welcoming.'

The most important thing to Mary Ann was her family; she is survived by her children, Joe, Matt, and Annmarie; her daughters-in-law, Sonia Lira and Deborah Jermyn; her grandchildren Isabel, Miranda, and Miles; and her sisters Barbara and Betty.

In lieu of flowers, Mary Ann would love donations to be made to a local animal rescue organization. It doesn't matter which one, if it means something to you, and helps an animal. That's what she cared about.

A small family ceremony will be held over Thanksgiving weekend, 2025 (Mary Ann's favorite holiday), and a wider celebration of life will be held in summer of 2026, with a date to be determined.

At nearly every meal, every feast, every celebration that Mary Ann prepared or took part in, she would offer the same two-word toast, which captured much of the spirit of her life:

Alla Famiglia!

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A final note: her children would like to give special thanks to those who helped care for her in her final years. Her sisters, and their families, went above and beyond what anyone could ever ask for. The team at Brookdale in Clinton, New York is top notch. And to the many many amazing doctors and caregivers at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, we are so incredibly thankful. There are too many to name, but a very special thanks to the team at the Women's Center (Dr. Sophia Reljanovic, Kat, and Issy Erb), as well as the entire team at the Heroes Harbor Hospice Center, also located at the VA (specifically Dr. Meijerson, Dr. Sara, Rebecca, and Mary).

www.ZMFH.com

Zeis-McGreevey Funeral Home and Cremation Service
16105 Detroit Ave. Lakewood, OH 44107
(216) 221-0220