Barbara Griffing Wagner, 80, passed away peacefully in Glastonbury, CT on Saturday, November 4th. She was surrounded by loved ones near and far. She was predeceased by her parents, Scudder and Mildred Griffing, and her husband, Warren Wagner, whom she married on Shelter Island, NY on December 28, 1960.Barbara was born in Harrisonburg, VA on May 17, 1937. She graduated from Shelter Island High School in 1955 and went on to earn a degree in Education with a concentration in Music from Randolph-Macon College and the University of Michigan in 1959. She worked many years as a school teacher and piano teacher in Darien, CT and as an administrative assistant at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan, CT before retiring to Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, NC in 1999 where she stayed until returning to CT in 2012.Barbara had a rare talent for music. Listening to her play the piano was an unforgettable experience. She also enjoyed sports and was a big fan of the Mets, Michigan football, and Duke basketball. Most of all, she enjoyed watching her children play and rarely missed a chance to cheer them on from the stands for hundreds of tennis, baseball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball games as well as at many musical performances. Barbara is dearly remembered by her four children, Karen and Paul Mayer (Kailua, HI), Lauren and Brian Furtak (Glastonbury, CT), Kent Wagner (Charleston, SC), and Alana and Cristiano Guerra (Washington, DC), her nine grandchildren (David, Alison, and Liana Mayer; Bailey Furtak Valenzuela and Melissa Furtak; Sasha and Quinn Wagner; and Adriana and Leyla Guerra), her sister Mary and husband Jim Spindler (Lincoln, MA), and by many friends and relatives who knew and loved her. Barbara will be missed, but she will be forever with us. We will always feel her music and hear her cheering us on. An ice cream social memorial, to honor Barbara and one of her other passions, will be held from 1:00-3:00 on Saturday, November 11th at St. James’ Episcopal Church, 2584 Main St., Glastonbury, CT. The funeral service and burial will be held on Shelter Island, NY at a future date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Foundation, 912 Killian Hill Road, S.W., Lilburn, GA 30047. The Farley-Sullivan Funeral Home, Glastonbury has care of the arrangements. You may also share stories and condolences with the family online at www.FarleySullivan.com. The family wishes to extend a special thanks to her many caregivers at the Hearth of Glastonbury and VITAS Hospice