Sabina Helen Wagner

Born in Manchester, New Hampshire on August 1, 1958, Sabina passed away peacefully at Swedish Hospital on March 29, 2022. Sabina, along with her younger sister Nona, spent their childhood in many places in the United States and Europe. As a first generation American, Sabina especially enjoyed the years she lived in Germany, both in Stuttgart and Berlin. It allowed her to spend time with her extended German family and attend high school at the international John F. Kennedy School in Berlin (west Berlin at the time) where she would meet many lifelong friends and have adventures including a school trip to London.

Sabina considered studying architecture but chose librarianship due to her love of reading. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in German, she went on to earn her master’s in library science at the University of South Florida and worked in libraries in Florida and Virginia before moving to Seattle. She fell in love with the area, and after working temporarily for the Seattle Public Library, she eventually obtained a permanent position with the King County Library System (KCLS) in 1984. Sabina moved up through KCLS to become Assistant Librarian at the Federal Way Regional Library and manager at 320th not too far away. Wishing to spend more time with her family, Sabina would eventually transfer to the Shoreline Library in 2011 where she developed a rapport with patrons, memorizing the names of the Shoreline teens by the dozens over the years. She would stay with KCLS for 37 years until her retirement on March 1, 2022. Sabina also loved giving back to her community and participated in programs like reading for the blind.

In the Spring of 1993. she met her husband, Gary Matsumoto, and they would eventually marry on May 10, 1997. Becoming a mother to their two daughters, Maya and Alina, was her greatest joy. She loved participating in and attending her children’s school events like plays, concerts, volleyball and softball games. She was so proud of their achievement and their eventual graduation and journey onward to college. Playing board games and endearing herself to her children’s friends was another way she stayed close to her children. Sabina was a devoted mother who instilled the notion that you can do anything and to “live life and each day to the fullest.”

She loved to travel and would return to Europe and Berlin many times or go back east to Cape Cod and Maryland to see family. She visited Hawaii on many occasions, enjoyed going on annual summer trips to Seaside, Oregon with her husband’s family, and traveled to all corners of the US. Her last trip to the east coast took her to New York City with members of her family, a final visit with old friends and a lively Broadway musical.

Sabina also thoroughly enjoyed the Seattle area, attending many plays, musicals, operas, and events like Bon Odori, the Folklife Festival, and Bumbershoot. She had a constant yearning to try new things like cross country skiing and snowshoeing, hiking with llamas, going to amusement parks like Disneyland, or eating different ethnic foods. Proud of her German heritage and a fluent German speaker, she became the librarian for the German Language School in Seattle and would pleasantly surprise many by switching to German when she heard a library patron or stranger speaking with a German accent. She became a member of a Stammtisch friends’ group that would meet once a month for many years and would yield many friendships.

Sabina is survived by her husband, Gary Matsumoto; daughters Maya and Alina; parents Gerd and Norma Wagner (Cape Cod, MA) and Robert Reynolds (Maryland); sister Nona Babischkin and brother-in-law, Jeff Babischkin (Maryland), and nephews Jordan and Tanner Babischkin (Maryland).

The family is grateful to the Kaiser Permanente doctors and health system and request that donations be made in her name to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (https://www.seattlecca.org/about/donate-and-volunteer) or to the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Institute (https://www.fredhutch.org/en/ways-to-give/honor-a-loved-one.html). Sabina was a strong supporter of organ donation and would be proud to know she was able to give back to that cause.

Sabina will be laid to rest at Evergreen Washelli Cemetery in Seattle. A Celebration of Life will be had for Sabina on Saturday July 30 at her home. A private urn burial will occur on July 29.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Evergreen-Washelli.com for the Wagner family.