Emma Jean Wagoner

Jean Wagoner passed away peacefully on April 18th at her home, surrounded by her loving son and daughter-in-law. Emma, or Jean as she was called by many, was born in Barnard, Missouri. She was the daughter of Joseph and Sylvia Maffitt and a middle child of 4 siblings. She succumbed to her illnesses brought on by complications of a recent broken hip.

Jean was a very kind, loving, and sweet person to all that knew her. She enjoyed her grandchildren very much, family time with all, traveling, knitting, and she was an avid reader. Jean was also a skilled seamstress and made many of her own clothes and clothes for family and friends. She was also very creative with arts and crafts and there was nothing she wasn’t afraid of trying.

As a child, Jean was a very good student and was also active in several extracurricular activities, including playing volleyball on the school team. After graduating from high school, she attended a business school in Kansas City, Missouri and became an Accountant. At age 20, she met her husband to be and they shared 61 years of marriage before his passing. They started their life together in Kansas City and within a couple of years moved to Los Angeles, California.

When their only child was born, Jean quit working. After a few years, they moved to Gilroy, California for her husband’s job. During those years, she was very active with volunteering in her son’s schools as well as she worked as the accountant for their Church.

Once their son was grown and moved out, Jean and her husband became avid travelers around the U.S., almost always as car trips. During this time, she became a deafened adult until she decided to undergo surgery for a Cochlear Implant, which was a game changer for the rest of her life.

Once her grandchildren were born in the mid 1990’s, she and her husband moved to Fremont, California to be close. Jean and her husband were a big part of their grandchildren’s lives, attending every school event, sporting event, special celebrations, and family gatherings.

When her son and daughter-in-law moved to the Monterey Peninsula, she wanted to continue to stay close to family so she moved to Monterey, California at the same time.

Jean is survived by a family who adored her, son Jim Wagoner, her daughter-in-law Angela Wagoner, her two grandchildren, Christopher and Acacia Wagoner, and many nieces and nephews. She was pre-deceased by her husband, Louis Wagoner.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 27th from 1-3 PM at the Paul Mortuary in Pacific Grove, CA.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations to be made to the Cochlear Implant Awareness Foundation. The link for a one-time donation is here: http://www.ciafonline.org/donate-pay-it-forward