Fern (Lee) Wagar

Fern Jessie Lee was born May 28, 1920 at Honeyford, ND to parents Hannah Belle (Schroeder) and Albert J. Lee.  She passed away March 11th at the age of 96 due to pneumonia.

Fern married Roy Edwin Wagar at the Grand Forks Courthouse on Nov. 7, 1941.  They spent almost 57 years together, all of it in Gilby.

While raising her family, (Doren, Virginia and Peggy) and working for other families, she enjoyed doing hand embroidery work.  She was active in the Gilby Presbyterian Church, Senior Citizens and the Gilby Quilters.  Fern was a good cook.  Everyone enjoyed her cookies and doughnuts, but most of all her buns and caramel rolls.  She used the recipe from the 1956 edition of the McCanna, ND cookbook.  She said her first batch of buns “were hard as rocks and were fed to the pigs”. She quickly improved and was asked to bring the buns to many family get togethers.  She would often say “have another, I don’t want any leftovers”.

Fern was able to live in her home in Gilby until the age of 92 when she moved to Colony Court in Waseca, MN to be close to her son, Doren, and her daughter-in-law, Merrily.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Roy; sisters Evelyn Collier and Eleanor Patterson: and her daughter and son-in-law Peggy and Bruce Jernigan.

She was deeply loved and will always hold a special place in the hearts of all who knew her.

She is survived by her son Doren/Merrily, Waseca, MN; daughter Virginia/Craig Garland, North Bend, OR; grandson; Tom/Ruth Wagar, Shoreview, MN; granddaughter, Beth/Lance Oddan, Plymouth,MN; granddaughter, Kelli/Ryan Douglass, Vancouver, WA; and great grandchildren, Anne and Joe Oddan, Helen Wagar, and twins Mallory and Jason Douglass.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Gilby Volunteer Fire & Rescue Dept., Gilby, ND.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 11:00 AM at the Gilby Presbyterian Church in Gilby, ND with Rev. Dr. Gretchen Graf officiating.  Visitation will be held on Saturday, one hour before services at the church.  Burial will be at the Prairie Home Cemetery in Gilby.

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