Louise Wagner

Louise Wagner, 89, of Danville, passed away at 5:30pm on September 20, 2008 at the Hawthorne Inn in Danville. She was a coal miners daughter, born in East Moline, Ill on September 17, 1919. She was the sixth daughter of John and Catherine (Kolich) Zupancic. Louise graduated from St. Joseph Catholic Grade School in 1932 at age 12, and from Joliet Township High School at age 16. She married Frank W. Wagner on September 18, 1948, in Joliet. He preceded her in death on December 14, 2004. Also preceding her in death were four sisters, Mary Zabkar, Ann Terlep, Joanne Curtis, and Josephine Bache, as well as a son-in-law, Ronald Sweikar. Survivors include three children, Mary Kay (Phil) Hamer (formerly Mary Kay Sweikar) of Bismarck, Ill.; Joe Wagner of Irvine, California, Jeff (Susie) Wagner of Bothell, Washington, and her sister, Kay Olszta of Miami Beach, Florida. She also leaves six grandchildren, Michael (Roxie) Sweikar of Alexandria, Va., Alexis (Matt) Winder of Roca, Neb, Christopher Wagner of Irvine, Calif, Kurt and Derek Wagner, and Kristen Drew, all of Bothell, Wash. She was expecting her first great-grandchild in January. Louise Lived in Joliet until 2002, when she and her husband, Frank, moved to Liberty Village in Danville to be close to their daughter, Mary Kay and became members of the St. Pauls Catholic Church. She worked at the Joliet Ammunition Plant until her first child was born. Louise was always a doer rather than an observer, and no challenge was too daunting for her to tackle. As a young woman, she loved horseback riding, and playing tennis. When her children came along she decided to take swimming, piano, and organ lessons so she could keep up with them as they learned these skills. She enjoyed music and often accompanied her husband, Frank, to his various jobs as a drummer with a band. Louise was also very involved with her childrens school and sports activities and was known for attending all of her two sons little league practices and games. In later years, Louise blossomed as a writer of poetry and prose, and she used her considerable talent in a number of ways. She was a correspondent for the Joliet Herald News for 10 years, specializing in feature and human interest articles. In 1988, she published a hardcover book on the history of Joliets St. Patrick Church to commemorate its 150th anniversary. She belonged to a local writing group and used her excellent writing skills to serve the St. Patricks Parish in many ways. Louise belonged to the Council of Catholic Women for many years. She served as the groups president from 1973 to 1975, and named their Women of the Year. She also enjoyed modeling clothes for Hansens Villa in Manhattan at various local style shows, and continued to model until she was 80 years old. In her senior years, she took up golfing, and before long, she was on the golf course several times a week. Louise belonged to the Thursday Morning Swingers and the Women of the Elks golf clubs, and enjoyed golfing with her husband. At the Hawthorne Inn, Louise was known for her nice smile, and pleasant disposition. She enjoyed participating in the social activities at her residence until the very end.