Merle Jackson Richards Wagner
March 25, 1936 – April 20, 2024
Merle Jackson Richards Wagner, of Edmond, Oklahoma, beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt and grandmother, passed from this life into her next with her Lord and Savior on April 20, 2024, at the age of 88. Merle was born at home in Youngsville, NC, on March 25, 1936, to Harold and Willie Etta(Perry) Richards. She was raised on a tobacco farm where she learned her love of cooking, sewing and quilting. She married Charles Wagner on December 19, 1958, and began her life as a Marine Corps Wife. After retirement, the Wagners settled in Oklahoma. They spent 65 wonderful years living, loving and laughing together and raising three daughters. Merle spent her life in service to the Lord as an active member of various Lutheran Churches in North Carolina, Virginia, Illinois and Oklahoma, working as a secretary/bookkeeper, and as the basketball and softball coach for her daughters' teams. However, no role was more important to her than her roles as wife and mother. Merle was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Willie Richards, infant granddaughter, Rhiannon Barlow, and son-in-law, Joseph Ruhlig and many other loved ones. Merle is survived by her husband, Charles and their constant companion, Skipper; her daughters: Holly(Robert) Bledsoe, Heidi(Jack) Stingley, and Heather Ruhlig. Grandchildren Ricky Heigl, Chance Barlow, Fayth Stingley, Dylan Martin, Cadence Martin and two great grandchildren; and her younger brother, Danny Richards. She also leaves behind special nieces and nephews, and a large network of extended family and friends who loved her dearly. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Merle's memory to her favorite organizations: St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, The ASPCA, Toys For Tots or St. Mark Lutheran Church in Edmond, OK. Viewing will be held Wednesday April 24th from 1:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Services will be held at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Edmond on Friday April 26th at 2:00 p.m.