Lucille Marie Wagner

Lucy was born on June 12, 1927 in Chicago, IL; the daughter of Gregory Fricilone and Antonette (Gizzi) Fricilone. She was raised in a large extended Chicago Italian family. On April 28, 1951, she “broke the mold” and married Mark N. Wagner, a German farm kid from Corsica, SD. After the wedding, they moved to Rapid City, SD and later to Omaha, NE where Mark was stationed with the Air Force. In 1955 they moved to Fairfax, VA when Mark began his career with the Central Intelligence Agency. Their faith was always very important to them and they were members of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax since its establishment in 1957.

Lucy was a vibrant and independent woman. Through her years, she was a homemaker, active parishioner, legal secretary, fearless automobile driver, world traveler, Washington DC family tour guide, member of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America and Nelly’s Needlers and manager of the “family farm” she and Mark purchased in South Dakota.

For Lucy, family was everything and she provided a gentle, constant love and presence which is missed. Many family reflections center on food – making homemade spaghetti, pizza, Italian sausage, Christmas cookies, pasta fagioli, cannolis and pies. We all remember with a smile her sneaking the grandchildren candy from her bottomless candy bowl, grandchildren tea parties using the “real dishes and real tea,” homemade popcorn during sleepovers, Shirley Temple drinks, Christmas and New Year celebrations at Grandma’s and Manhattans (with cherries, plenty of ice and no bitters), her clip-on earrings, her inability to ride a bike and her always present stack of murder mystery books. The grandchildren’s special times with her included sitting in “the white chair” reserved for company or sitting between her legs while she gently scratched their back. During several summer breaks when her children were growing up, Lucy hosted children of friends from Chicago which evolved into “Camp Fun” for her grandchildren at her home. In her later years, Lucy found joy and love in her great-grandchildren. She beamed and laughed as she watched them play. Life came full circle with many great memories.

Lucy loved being with people - eating caramel sundaes at McDonald’s with all the lunchtime regulars, stitching with her many wonderful friends from Nelly’s Needlers, hosting bridge parties with long-time family friends and holiday dinners with the neighbors and family. Her grandchildren still talk about going places with Grandma and the next thing they knew she would be sitting on a bench talking to a stranger and, in 15 minutes, she would know their life history. For her, friendships were for a lifetime.

Lucy had a joy-filled view of the world. She was fun-loving and adventurous, even traveling to Russia during the Cold War. But, beneath her ever-present smile was an independent, resourceful, strong spirited person determined to guide her family through the challenges of life. Her friends enjoyed her company because, they said, she was never grouchy or had a bad word to say about anybody, except about her children after they “convinced her” that it was time to stop driving. When faced with a challenge, she would often say “This too shall pass.” She is dearly missed.

Lucille was preceded in death by her husband, Mark N. Wagner, her parents, Gregory and Antonette (Gizzi) Fricilone, her brother, John Frislone, and her granddaughter, Therese Lucille Wagner. She is survived by her loving children, Jan Thompson (Daniel), Leigh Ann Solometo (Joseph - deceased), Clare Kalina (James) and Mark R. Wagner (Beth); cherished grandchildren, Melissa Slater (Jonathan), Ashleigh Bleeker (Eric), Erin Field (Kyle), Kathleen Hallowell, James Kalina (Maryssa), Laura Kalina, Marie Wagner, Mark N. Wagner, Grace Wagner, Kathryn Wagner and Anna Wagner; and great-grandchildren Elizabeth Bleeker, Penelope Field, Aubrey Slater, George Slater, Katherine Bleeker and Thatcher Field.