Nilah Wagner

Nilah K. Wagner, 80, of Warsaw, passed away Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Paddock Springs.

Nilah was born on Jan. 11, 1944, in Warsaw. She was the daughter of Raymond and Evelyn (Parker) Deafenbaugh.

Nilah graduated from Warsaw Community High School. She married Norman Thompson in 1961; they were married for 21 years. She and Norm had three children and resided at River Lawn addition in Warsaw. During this time, she enjoyed her morning coffee with her next-door neighbor, playing cards with her extended family, mushroom hunting, trips to Keenland and making lifelong friends. Some of the best times were their annual Labor Day hog roasts. Nilah and Norm were Warsaw Tiger basketball season ticket holders and looked forward to cheering them on each week.

They moved to Chapman Lake in 1978. Nilah was employed at Word Inc., Winona Lake.

On Sept. 14, 1985, Nilah married Keith Wagner, who preceded her in death in June of 2013. During her 28 years of marriage to Keith, they spent their winters at Bradenton Beach, Fla. They were avid boaters and had fun hanging out at the sandbar, fishing and also spending time at the Warsaw Moose Lodge.

Nilah loved crossword puzzles, reading and watching sports. She was a Purdue college basketball and football fan, enjoyed the Miami Dolphins and would rarely miss out listening to or watching the Chicago Cubs.

Nilah will be greatly missed by her son, Todd (Cindy) Thompson, of Fort Wayne, and daughters, Tange’ Thompson and Tyra (Todd) Barringer, both of Warsaw; grandchildren, Mick (Bailey) Thompson, of Swansboro, N.C., Brittany (Jarad) Eberly, of Warsaw, Maxwell (Alicia) Carter, of Denver, Colo., Alexandria Barringer, of Warsaw, and Molly (fiance Austin Hanley) Thompson, of Fort Wayne; great-granddaughter, Nora Thompson, of Swansboro, N.C.; stepdaughters, Sheryl (Mike) Hanna, of Warsaw, and Shana Wagner, of Warsaw; sister, Sara Satterfield, of Warsaw; and brother, Michael (Bonita) Holloway, of Apple Valley, Minn.

Preceding Nilah in death were her spouse, Keith Wagner; mother, Evelyn Deafenbaugh; father, Raymond Deafenbaugh; stepmother, Isabelle Deafenbaugh; and brothers, William Deafenbaugh, Jeff Deafenbaugh, Jim Deafenbaugh and Greg Holloway.

A visitation with family and friends will be from 1-2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, with a service to follow immediately at 2 p.m., with Chaplain Ryan Howe officiating, at McHatton-Sadler Funeral Chapels, 2290 Provident Court, Warsaw.

The family requests memorial donations to: Transitions Hospice, 2865 E. DuPont Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46825; or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959.

The family would like to thank the staff at Park Place, Fort Wayne, and Paddock Springs, Warsaw, and the staff at Transitions, Fort Wayne, for the excellent care she received over the past five years.

To sign the guestbook or send a condolence to the family, please visit mchattonsadlerfuneralchapels.com.