Obituary of Elizabeth Lillian Wagner

Wagner, Elizabeth Lillian (Betty), 96, of Seminole, died peacefully April 21, 2022 at home. Born in Medford, Massachusetts, Betty grew up in Lawrence and Methuen and graduated from Searles High School where she was a majorette. She was preceded in death by her mother, Lillian Reed Vost and husband, Richard Wagner (Dick). Betty is survived by daughter Janet Anschuetz and grandson Cameron Anschuetz. Her family moved to Florida after graduation and she settled in St. Petersburg. She married Dick in 1945 in San Diego, CA while he was serving in the U.S. Navy submarine service. They spent winters in St. Petersburg and summers in York Beach on the Maine coast where they became part-owners of The Goldenrod, a seasonal restaurant, ice cream and candy store specializing in salt water taffy and generations of happy summer memories. Betty was a very respected businesswoman. For 3 years they owned Dick’s Bait Shack near Corey Bridge in St. Pete Beach. After retirement in 1988 they enjoyed summers in South Carolina until Dick died in 1994. She loved her neighbors and the neighborhoods she lived in and was a great cook and hostess, enjoying cooking from her Julia Child cookbooks. She learned to love nature and helped out at her daughter and son-in-law’s nature store. Betty was very involved in activities in her final home, Lake Seminole Square, where she bowled a perfect 300 at Wii bowling. Betty was a longtime member of Pasadena Community Church and especially enjoyed the Pasadena Quilters quilting group and volunteering at the Food Pantry. She was a loving member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter CV, in St. Petersburg for 46 years. Betty lived a long life and set an outstanding example of how to grow old with grace. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite environmental organization, the P.E.O. Sisterhood, or the Pasadena Community Church Food Pantry.