Ardith Margaret Wagner

Ardith Wagner Ardith Wagner, 98, entered life eternal on Sunday, February 5, 2017. One of three daughters born and reared by Herbert and Ruby Webber in Taft, Calif., she was a graduate of Taft College. In 1943, she married Dave Wagner, a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Following WWII, they settled in Taft and began their family. On Columbus Day, 1952, the then family of four moved to their new home in Los Osos, where Ardith lived for just over 64 years. In the 1950's, Ardith used her creative talents as a seamstress to design women's clothing and also clerked at the now defunct Los Osos Valley Market. She also served as president of the Parent Teachers Club at Sunnyside School and served as an election precinct captain. From 1959 to 1985, she was the branch librarian of the Los Osos Library. She shepherded the library from a small one-room building on Santa Maria Avenue, that is now part of Noi's Thai Restaurant, to a larger facility on LOVR, and finally to its current building in 1981, on Palisades Ave., which Ardith helped to plan and implement. Upon her retirement, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors enacted a resolution honoring her for her "outstanding service to the County." A person of service, Ardith felt especially fulfilled helping children discover the library for reading and research. Her proudest achievement at the library was developing a puppet theatre for story time. Ardith designed and made many of the puppets to go with specific stories. Over time, her puppetry became something of an avocation. As the project grew, Ardith and her loyal helpers put on shows at other libraries, schools and other venues around the county. She was a member of Puppeteers of America and the Central Coast Puppet Guild. A display of her puppets and a scrapbook about her puppetry will be displayed at her celebration of life. Ardith also contributed to a published history of the Los Osos library, the book "Past Due" by Sally Marchand. In retirement, Ardith and Dave enjoyed traveling, being members of the Cayucos Gem and Mineral Club and attending annual reunions of Dave's U.S. Army Air Corps unit. Ardith had a quick and subtle wit, enjoyed writing poems and haiku and was a stickler for organization and attention to detail. Clear in thought, she accurately maintained her own affairs until the last. Ardith was preceded in death by her parents, Herbert Webber and Ruby Webber Bell; her sister Arlene; and her husband of 64 years, Dave Wagner. She is survived by her children, James (Richard Glodo) Wagner and Marjorie (George) Murphy; her grand- children Douglas Wagner and Bronwyn Wagner; her sister Arvilla (Brian) Sullivan; nephews Richard (Kathleen) Cole and Val Cole; and niece Dianne (Gabriel) Sandland. A Celebration of Ardith's Life will be held at 11:00 am, Saturday, February 25, 2017, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 490 Los Osos Valley Road. The celebration will continue with a reception and light lunch in Trinity's Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ardith's memory to the Friends of the Los Osos Library, PO Box 6303, Los Osos, CA 93402-6303. Sign her guestbook at sanluisobispo.com/obituaries

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Published in San Luis Obispo Tribune on Feb. 12, 2017