Marguerite Wagner: Newtown Square’s Newest Centenarian

People in Places feature by Christina Manning

St. Patrick’s Day is always a celebration for Marguerite Wagner, but this year was extra-special: She celebrated her 100th birthday. Even though a party gathering wasn’t possible, she did receive phone calls and cards from her dear family and friends all around the U.S. “It was a quiet birthday, but it was so nice to hear from everybody,” noted Marguerite.

Born in Malvern, Marguerite grew up in Paoli with her parents and brother Paul. She met her husband Gus when they both joined different neighborhood choral groups. Both groups were losing members, so a decision was made to combine groups. The rest is history. Gus was a Design Engineer. “He was quite clever,” Marguerite said. “There wasn’t any broken thing that he couldn’t figure out a way to fix or find a solution for.”

After getting married, the Wagners lived in Ardmore for 25 years before moving to Newtown Square in 1980. They became quite active in the choir at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, and also enjoyed being in some Marple-Newtown Players’ shows.

Marguerite and Gus had two amazingly creative children: Carol and Richard. Carol has been a Horticulturist at Haverford College for the last 32 years, after graduating from Longwood Gardens. Richard and his wife are both artists, and their son David is very talented musically. “Carol and Richard got their artistic talents from their father,” recalled Marguerite.

After Marguerite graduated from Tredyffrin-Easttown High School (now Conestoga HS), she worked as a Dental Assistant. She later also worked for 18 years as a Secretary at Haverford College. During World War II, Marguerite worked with the Red Cross, taking First Aid and Home Nursing Care courses, and going through some practice field situations, like mock air raid response drills. She never signed up to join the Army or Navy because her experience caring for local dental patients was so greatly needed and appreciated.

Marguerite Wagner, Newtown Square's newest centenarian

Being 100 years old hasn’t slowed Marguerite down. "I don’t feel 100. I feel like I’m only 20 years old. And my mind is still going strong,” she said proudly. Since Gus passed away in 1995, Marguerite and Carol have enjoyed a fall vacation at their favorite spot in Ocean City, NJ. They spend little time on the boardwalk and more time on the beach, surf fishing. It’s a team effort: Carol does the casting and Marguerite reels them in. “Mom always catches the first and the most fish,” admits Carol. Marguerite boasts that her biggest catch was a 20” striped bass.

When asked about a memorable time in her 100 years, Marguerite said nothing compared to her trip with Gus in 1975, when they visited Carol who was working in England. They had a wonderful time seeing places such as Scotland, a bit of Wales, Stonehenge, London and even Shakespeare’s home.

Besides surf fishing at the beach, Marguerite has enjoyed knitting over 750 baby hats that she donated to local hospitals. She also loves sitting on her heated enclosed back porch, watching the birds at the feeders in the winter and her vegetable garden flourish in the summer. Marguerite’s father always had a garden, so when she got married, she decided to have one also. From tomatoes and string beans to peas and lettuce, Marguerite’s garden has it all. Marguerite shared this sage advice: “You always plant your peas on St. Patrick’s Day, when the air and ground are just warm enough. It’s an old proverb.”

Marguerite is looking forward to whatever her next 100 years will bring, starting with year #1 and the future!