Martha Kay Wagoner

Martha Kay Wagoner, known simply as “Kay” to nearly everyone who knew her, passed away on August 27, 2026, at the age of 86. A lifelong daughter of Grand Prairie, Texas, Kay was a devoted wife and mother whose love for her family was expressed not so much through grand gestures or words, but through the steady, practical and unwavering way she cared for them throughout her life.

Kay was born August 11, 1940, in Dallas, Texas, to Russell Fay “Buck” Zuspann and Martha Joe Zuspann. Her father was a Grand Prairie firefighter, and Kay grew up there with her younger sister, Joan. Kay graduated from Grand Prairie High School in 1958, one year after her high school sweetheart, Eddie Paul Wagoner. The two were married in Grand Prairie on November 21,1959, beginning a marriage that would last more than 62 years. To describe Kay and Eddie as inseparable would not be an exaggeration. They were partners from their teenage years through the raising of their family, retirement and eventually Eddie’s declining health. When he needed her most in his final years, Kay’s devotion took the form of caregiver until his death in 2022.

Eddie’s service in the United States Navy took the young couple and their growing family away from Grand Prairie for a chapter of their lives. As a devoted military wife, Kay made a home for her family wherever the Navy sent them—from Glenview, Illinois, to Memphis, Tennessee; Aurora, Colorado; and Alameda, California. Through every move, she provided the stability and sense of home her children could count on. In 1976, Eddie’s final Navy transfer brought the family back to Grand Prairie, where Kay and Eddie had grown up, fallen in love and married. Although Eddie would continue his Navy career for several more years before retiring, the family’s traveling days with the military were over. Kay was home again, and Grand Prairie would remain her home for the next 50 years.

Above all else, Kay took pride in being a mother. She stayed home while her children were young, raising Terry, Randy and Gary, and returned to work only after they had reached middle- and high-school age. Dinner was on the table each evening, and the family ate together. Although theirs was a single-income household for much of those years, Kay had a remarkable way of making sure her children never felt they were doing without. One of her children once asked her if their family was rich. “Is there anything you want that you don’t have?” Kay asked. The answer was no. “Well, I guess you’re rich then.”

It was quintessential Kay: practical, direct and quietly profound. She had a way of reducing things to what really mattered. To Kay, richness was not extravagance; it was having what you needed, appreciating what you had, and knowing that the people you loved were cared for. Kay’s generosity extended well beyond providing for her family while her children were young. Throughout her life, she continued to help her children and grandchildren when they needed

it, especially during difficult times. She was also quietly charitable, regularly donating clothing, household items and other belongings, as well as supporting a variety of causes that were important to her. Giving was simply part of who she was. When Kay did return to work, she worked as a bank teller, first during the family’s years in Alameda at Wells Fargo and later back home in Grand Prairie. She began locally at Midway Bank and remained through the changes and mergers that followed over the years. Between growing up as the daughter of a Grand Prairie firefighter and later spending years behind the counter at a hometown bank, it sometimes seemed as though Kay knew just about everyone in Grand Prairie.

Kay was loving but reserved, strong-willed and exceedingly practical. She kept a clean and organized home and possessed a sharp mind and a dry sense of humor. She was an avid reader and exceptionally good at trivia. Jeopardy! remained a favorite up until her passing, and she could still impress those around her by coming up with the answers. She loved cooking and gardening, particularly in her younger years, and she loved animals throughout her life. Dogs were almost always part of the Wagoner household. She also had an affinity for birds, enjoying watching, feeding and identifying them and collecting ceramic birds.

Kay was also an enthusiastic sports fan. If the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers or Dallas Mavericks were playing, there was a very good chance she was watching. Travel was part of family life from the beginning. Even when the children were young, Kay and Eddie made sure there was a summer trip, loading the family into the station wagon to see places throughout the United States. In retirement, they continued traveling together and with friends, venturing farther afield on cruises and trips that included London and Jamaica just to name a few. But for all the places they visited, Kay and Eddie were every bit as content simply being at home together.

Kay is survived by her children, Terry Driskell, Randy Wagoner, and Gary Wagoner and his wife, Carol; her grandchildren, Derek, Tessa and Elle; and her sister, Joan Bronstad and her husband, Jack. Along with her Nieces Kristene Blackstone (Jonathan) and Denise Blackstone. She was preceded in death by her husband and high school sweetheart, Eddie Paul Wagoner; her parents, Buck and Joe Zuspann; and her son-in-law, Paul Driskell.

Kay’s life was not defined by a need to draw attention to herself. It was defined by constancy: a marriage that began with two Grand Prairie high school sweethearts and endured for more than six decades; a homemade and remade wherever Navy life took the family; children who always knew they were provided for; family dinners; summer station-wagon trips; dogs underfoot; books to be read; and games to be watched. And through it all, there was Grand Prairie. It was where Kay grew up, where she and Eddie fell

in love and married, and where the family returned for good in 1976 after years of Navy transfers around the country. For the next 50 years, it remained home—the place where Kay and Eddie watched their children become adults, enjoyed their retirement years together, and grew old side by side. A rich life indeed.