Obituary for Edith Nicholson Wagner
August 17, 1930 - August 21, 2026

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a

Edith Nicholson Wagner was a blessing to all who knew or came in contact with her.  Warm, gracious, kind, and generous, Edith was also a culture enthusiast, full of ideas of places or events to explore.  She took endless delight in the natural world and in reading, collecting thousands of books over her lifetime.  But her family was closest and dearest to her heart and she maintained correspondence with numerous family members for decades.

Edith was the second daughter born to Lake and Grace Nicholson in Kipling community, a small rural, tight-knit community in Kemper County, Mississippi.  At just 17, she and her sister, Ruth, headed off to the big city of New Orleans, Louisiana, for nursing school at Charity Hospital School of Nursing, where she obtained her RN license.  While working as a nurse in New Orleans she met her husband, Robert (Bob) Wagner, a Buffalo, NY native, who was then working as a news reporter with The Times Picayune.   They were married on September 21, 1957 in New Orleans.  Over the next 9 years, they lived in or near Baton Rouge, Louisiana where they welcomed the births of three daughters, the youngest of which sadly died only days after her birth.  After spending a year in Mobile, Alabama, the family relocated to Buffalo, New York, in February, 1967.  Edith continued working as a nurse at the Veteran's Hospital and later as nurse to a practice of four urologists, while raising her two daughters.  In 1971, the family purchased a home in Clarence, NY, and Edith served in a number of area volunteer organizations including the Clarence Contemporary Club and the Clarence Library.

Following a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, Edith passed away peacefully during the early morning hours of August 21st at the home of her daughter and son-in-law,  with her husband, Bob, at her side. She is predeceased by her parents, Lake and Grace (nee McWilliams) Nicholson; her sister Ruth Mayronne; and brother, James Lake.  She is survived by her husband of nearly 69 years, Robert Wagner; her sister, Nell Whittington; her daughters Joan, and Jennifer (Steve) Valeri; three grandsons: Stephen, Joshua, and Caleb Valeri, as well as numerous beloved cousins, nieces, and nephews.

No prior visitation.  A graveside service will be held in her honor at St. John's Cemetery on Sandridge Rd. in Alden, NY, on Friday, September 4th, at 11:00 a.m.  Arrangements by the Charles Meyer Funeral Home.  Share your condolences at meyerfuneralhome.com

My times are in your hands

Psalm 31:15a