Caroline B. Wagner

Caroline Butler Wagner, age 81, of West Chester, PA, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 21, 2024, at the Park Lane at Bellingham senior living community after visits by close family members and friends.

Caroline is survived by her daughter, Catherine Bain (Bill), and her two adopted children, John Emory Parks V (Margaret)  and Ninia Parks Elsey (Raymond), 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.  She is predeceased in death by her loving husband of 56 years, George Alan Wagner, her parents William and Nell Butler, and her brother William Butler (Marilyn).

Caroline was born on October 2, 1942 in West Chester, PA to Nell and William Butler.  She graduated from Agnes Irwin High School and attended Northwestern University where she met the love of her life, the late George “Alan” Wagner, a classical baritone and voice teacher at West Chester University.  Caroline and Alan enjoyed a life full of family, community and love.  Caroline and Alan were still young parents to their daughter, Catherine when they made the generous decision to open their hearts, home and family to their two adopted children, John and Ninia, who were orphaned following the passing of Carolineʻs first cousin. She maintained the family home on Trinity Drive in West Chester, providing a stable loving environment for all who lived in and visited the home. Caroline and Alan were well known for their green thumbs, nurturing azaleas, dogwoods, perennials, evergreens and Alanʻs annual vegetable garden filled with luscious beefsteak tomatoes, bushels of climbing peas and fat rounds of fresh lettuce.

Caroline and Alan were long-time and engaged members of the Church of the Loving Shepherd, in West Chester, PA.  Through the Church, Caroline formed close bonds of friendship with Church leadership including the late Elwood and Doris Bailey, the late Mark Bailey and the loving John and Mary-Lou Woodcock.  It was through the tender care of these spiritual shepherds that Caroline re-discovered and and deepened her faith, openly sharing the gratitude she felt in doing so with others.  For many years Caroling organized, produced and contributed to the Churchʻs monthly congregational newsletter, the “Barnyard News.” 

From a young age Caroline discovered her love of the language arts and began developing her writing skills.  While busily raising her children and being a loving and faithful wife, Caroline grew into an avid, imaginative, and successful creative writer.  Carolineʻs writing talent was appreciated and nurtured by her close friendship with late Madeline LʻEngle.  Caroline penned short stories, essays and the well loved and much anticipated annual Christmas newsletter which combined her witty sense of humor with timely family updates.  Carolineʻs love of writing eventually led her to write a full length novel entitled “Missing Heaven,”  published in 2003 and described by readers as “one of the best in American literary classics” and “alive and waiting to be read again and again.” 

Following Alanʻs retirement from almost four decades of teaching at West Chester University and performing in opera productions in New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware, Caroline supported Alanʻs transition to private voice lessons and piano playing at the baby grand piano in their new home on Dunvegan Road in West Chester.  The Wagner home continued to be filled with love and music and joy.  When Alan fell sick in the fall of 2016 Nana lovingly remained by his side through his treatments, ensuring that he was surrounded with the same love, laughter and joy that the two of them enjoyed throughout their relationship.  After losing Alan in November 2018, Caroline adapted and learned to navigate life without her partner of more than five decades.  Her mental strength, buoyant sense of humor and constant ability to refocus her thoughts on gratitude served as a tremendous source of strength, inspiration and resilience for her many friends and family members throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Caroline lived a life full of love, gratitude, generosity, compassion, laughter, friendships, family and faith.  As she expressed her gratitude and faith in one of her Barnyard News columns “God of the quarks and dark matter, God of the buttercup and ladybug, God of me and you and a dog named Blue, thank you for being with us all as we journey through this glorious life.  Especially, thank you for the people who are and have been and will be Church of the Loving Shepherd, whose faithfulness, compassion and perseverance have created a community where we are accepted exactly as we are, empowering us to question, imagine, hope, and continually grow into something more.”

Carolineʻs Celebration of Life will be held at Church of the Loving Shepherd, on Saturday May 18, 2024 at 10:30.  Family Visitation will be at 10:00.  The Church is located at 1066 S. New St. in West Chester.