Richard and Joan Wagner of Topeka will celebrate their 50th anniversary on Sept. 7.
Joan Weimer and Richard Wagner met in her parents’ home in 1962. Her grandparents were visiting from Kansas and wanted to contact friends they had known in the Topeka area. When they came over for a visit, they brought along their son who was just out of the Navy. A few months later, the young Wagners were married in Alamogordo, N.M. They soon returned to Kansas so Richard could complete his college education at Emporia State University.
Their entire family gathered to celebrate this occasion in July near Branson, Mo. The event was hosted by their children and grandchildren, Lisa and Jeff Pennington with their two children of San Antonio, Texas; Jim and Amy (Lamb) Wagner with their two children of Topeka; and Kristie Hartig with her two children of Garden Grove, Calif.
Richard taught mathematics at Great Bend High School from 1965 to 1989, and served as chairman of the Math Department for several years. He retired from teaching in 2003, having taught high school math for 37 years, teaching upper level courses for most of that time. After retiring, the Wagners moved to Topeka where their son and his family reside. Joan was active in Morrison Grade School PTA for 13 years and substituted at the junior highs and the high school for several years. She wrote and published her first book, “Dear Mom with Love from Your Daughter” which chronicled their family’s struggles throughout her mother, Eleanor Weimer’s illness with Alzheimer’s Disease. Some might remember Eleanor’s “Special Bundt Cake” and other goodies which she baked for many in Great Bend prior to her illness.
The Wagners may be contacted at wagnergrandpa@gmail.com. They would enjoy shared memories from family, friends, former students, and acquaintances.