Pat L. Wagner, 72, of Humboldt, passed away May 6, 2017 at the Humboldt County Memorial Hospital. A Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Father Brian Danner, will be 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt. Visitation is from 11-1 Tuesday at the church. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Humboldt, with a lunch to follow at the church.
Pat Lee Gronbach, the daughter of Leroy “Kelly” and Gertrude “Betty” (Olson) Gronbach, was born August 8, 1944 at Fort Dodge, Iowa. She was raised and educated at Livermore, Iowa and graduated from Twin Rivers High School where she excelled in basketball and softball. Following her education, Pat moved to Minneapolis where she was employed in an insurance office and Embers Restaurant. After three years, she returned home to Livermore and went to work in “The Town Tavern” Restaurant. It was there she met John Wagner. It was love at first sight for John but Pat took a little longer. The couple was united in marriage on August 2, 1969. They made their home on a farm north of Bode until moving to Phoenix, AZ in 1971 where Pat worked at Monte’s Restaurant. In 1976, the returned to Bode and a year later, moved to Dakota City. In addition to raising her family, Pat briefly worked at W&H Coop before joining her husband in the family business, Blacktop Service, where she remained until her retirement.
Pat was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She loved shopping trips with her sister, Marilyn and daughter, Tera. She was widely considered a gourmet cook and enjoyed tending her herb garden and having wine with friends. In her spare time, Pat found relief in exercise and prayer and enjoyed watching the Cooking Channel, HGTV, and westerns with John. Above all, Pat loved and adored her family, especially her grandchildren who will miss her dearly.
Those left to cherish Pat’s memory are her children, Jayson (Darci) Wagner of Anamosa, Tera (Doug) Dollman of Ankeny, and Justin (Barbara) Wagner of Gallup, NM; her grandchildren, Nicholas, Margaret, and Jonah Wagner, Ella and Nolan Dollman, and Amalia, Gina, Giada, and Ava Wagner; sisters, Marilyn (Don) Christianson of Bode, Don Gronbach of Corpus Christi, TX, and Teri Kayser of Garner; four nephews; and six nieces. Her parents and her husband, John, preceded her in death.