'Wagner's Warriors' walk for Komen honoree

This year's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Findlay is in memory of Susan Wagner, who was nominated by her friend Jenni Wilson and her niece Amanda Wagner. "My Aunt Susan was probably one of the most selfless people you'd ever meet," Amanda said. Susan and her husband, David, had no children of their own. But they kept toys at their house for their nieces and nephews, who would often spend the night at their home. They'd take their nieces and nephews for pizza or ice cream, or to watch movies. "We would always go to their house for trick-or-treat," even though they lived in the country, Amanda said. "They would come to concerts and school plays and sports games," Amanda said. "She cared about people. And I think we could all learn ... a little bit from that." Susan died in June of this year at age 62, having been diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in 2014. But even while she was living with cancer, if you asked her how she was doing, her answer was always, "I'm fine, how are you?," Amanda said. She said Susan wanted people to see that cancer "doesn't have to stop you from living your life." Susan taught first grade at Cory-Rawson School, and was dedicated to her students, Amanda said. She said her aunt coped OK with cancer treatments, but "her priority was still, 'I want to be able to teach.'" She and her family attended Riley Creek Baptist Church outside Bluffton, and Susan was highly involved there, as well. "She loved Jesus and she loved her kids," Amanda said, noting that Susan always referred to the first-graders as "her kids." She'd have "all kinds of stories … the things that first-graders say, the stories they come up with," Amanda said. She found it especially satisfying to see children learn to read, as "reading was kind of her passion," Amanda said. Susan especially liked reading Christian fiction, and she maintained a library at the church. The family and some Cory-Rawson teachers teamed up on "Wagner's Warriors," a team that did the Komen race together in Susan's honor. This year, they will walk in her memory. Arthurs: 419-427-8494