Lillian Beatrice Wagner

Meadowview, VA–Lillian Beatrice Hite Wagner died on Monday, August 4, 2014. The first-born daughter of the late Dewey Wilburn and Fannie Dell Mitchell Hite, Lillian was born on June 3, 1928, in Brumley Gap, Virginia. She was a 1945 graduate of Meadowview High School and lived in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Bristol, Virginia, before returning to Washington County where she lived for the remainder of her life. Lillian was a long-time employee of Monroe Calculating Company in Bristol, Virginia, prior to the plant’s closing in 1969. Following the plant’s closing, she became an Avon representative, an occupation she thoroughly enjoyed for 45 years. She made many friends through her Avon business and thought of each customer as family. An avid gardener and preserver of the harvest, Lillian loved nothing better than to watch things grow. Lillian attended Byars-Cobbs Memorial United Methodist Church in Glade Spring. In addition to her parents, Lillian was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Wilson Wagner, her son, David Allen Wagner, and a sister, Evelyn Delores Hite Ferguson. She is survived by her daughter, Gloria Wagner Surber (Tony Lee Surber); granddaughters, Jennifer Elizabeth Hunter Surber (Leigh Anne Hunter Surber), Mollie Katherine Surber (Bryan Daniel Ailey), and Annie Grace Mitchell Surber; and great-grandchildren, Lillian Alize Hunter Surber (her namesake who was born on her birthday) and Theo Joseph Hunter Surber. Several special nieces and nephews also survive. The graveside service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 8, 2014, at Forest Hills Memory Gardens with the Rev. Paul Griffith officiating. Pallbearers will include Tony Surber, Bryan Ailey, James Radick, and John Radick. The family will receive friends at the Forest Hills Chapel of Farris Funeral Service, 19415 Lee Highway, Abingdon, VA 24210, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. prior to the service. The family would like to express appreciation to the nurses and staff at Abingdon Health and Rehabilitation Center as well as the nurses, doctors, and staff on the third floor at Johnston Memorial Hospital for the compassion and many kindnesses shown to Lillian during her illness. Those wishing to express sympathy online may do so by visiting www.farrisfuneralservice.com and signing the online guest register. The Wagner family is being cared for by Farris Cremation & Funeral Center, 19415 Lee Highway, Abingdon, VA 24210, (276) 623-2700.