Lill Kjeld Wagner (née Larsen) died March 11, 2015, of ovarian cancer. She was born Feb. 24, 1945, in Copenhagen, Denmark, where in 1966 she married Richard Wagner (1943-1973), who was spending his junior year abroad. They met at the University of Copenhagen studying philosophy. After their marriage, they settled in Baltimore for Richard to finish his B.A. at Johns Hopkins University, and then to Minneapolis for both to earn advanced degrees. Lill worked as a social worker for the Minneapolis Housing Authority. She took to the cold and renewed her love for cross country skiing which she had learned as a 2-year-old. Long-distance racing became her favorite pastime until the mountains and the ocean drew her to Seattle in 1984. She found a new love in backcountry skiing and enjoyed the training that permitted her to take other people out on trips.
In 2006, she moved to Winthrop to retire closer to the ground and to participate in all the wonderful outdoor activities in the valley. Being a long-time weaver, she was delighted to join the active Weavers’ Guild, which provided her with an artistic outlet.
Lill is survived by siblings and two generations of nieces and nephews in Denmark. She leaves behind dear friends who have faithfully been great supports through the four years of chemotherapy and commuting to Swedish Hospital in Seattle. She would like to thank her doctors Elise Everett, Chirag Shah, George Pappas, and Gregory Moss, her P.A.s, E.J., and the nursing staff on the 11th Floor Southwest at Swedish Hospital for working so caringly to keep her alive. We would also like to thank Frontier Home Health and Hospice and Central Washington Hospital for caring for Lill in her last few weeks of life.
Her friends will remember Lill as well-read and intellectually stimulating, with a lively appreciation for the arts and an eye for beauty. To those who knew her best, she revealed her sensitivity and deep caring about people and world issues. Lill was always ready to enjoy live music and had enough pluck to go skiing or hiking regardless of how she felt. Linda Mendro, who was with her at her death, told Lill that she was representing all of the family and friends who loved her all over the world and couldn’t be there. Lill looked up at Linda, smiled, and said, “thank you very much.”
Remembrances: The Marsha Rivkin Ovarian Cancer Center, 801 Broadway, Suite 701, Seattle WA 98122.
