Alice Theodora “Teddy” Grey Wagner, 92., Passed away on January 8, 2019 at the age of 92. Born on August 13, 1926 in Washington, DC, Teddy was the daughter of Irving M. and Alice Ellen (Biddle) Grey, who were both raised in St. John’s Orphanage in Washington, DC. The youngest of five children, she was named after her mother and President Theodore Roosevelt. When she was 15 years old, Teddy worked as a messenger at Woodward & Lothrop in downtown DC. She started working for the US government (General Services Administration) during World War II and retired in 1975.Teddy’s father taught her the love of all sports — but especially baseball. She loved her Washington Senators, now the Washington Nationals. She saw Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson (her favorite) play. She passed the love of baseball to her children and grandchildren. Teddy loved shopping, traveling, and watching her favorite game shows – Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! every evening. Teddy was devoted to her Episcopal churches – St. Stephen’s and the Incarnation, St. Paul’s Rock Creek, and All Souls in Washington, DC; St. James in Lothian, MD; and, for the last decade, St. Philip’s in Annapolis, MD.
Teddy met her husband Robert W. Wagner, Jr. on a blind date in July 1944 and six weeks later on September 2, 1944, they eloped. After World War II ended, they moved to a farm in Turin, Monona Co., Iowa and had three children. The family moved back to Washington, DC in 1952 and eventually settled in Hyattsville, MD. Teddy subsequently lived in Ft. Myers, FL, Kensington, MD, and Owings, MD. For the past 11 years, Teddy was loved and cared for by the wonderful staff of Sunrise of Annapolis Senior Living.
Teddy is survived by her three children: Robert W. Wagner, III of Chesapeake Beach, MD; Evelyn (Wagner) Tipton and husband Dennis of Owings, MD; and Barbara Jane (Wagner) Grant and husband Gary of Atlanta, GA. She was a beloved grandmother to Michelle (Wagner) Schadt and husband Scott; Tricia Tipton; Scott Tipton and wife Linna; Amy Tipton; and Andrew Whitacre and wife Lindsay. She was the great-grandmother of Emily, Lydia and Lyla Wagner, and Michael Grant Whitacre. Teddy was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and siblings Irving H. Grey, Sarah Elizabeth “Dolly” Grey, Stephen B. Grey, and William J. Grey, and her grandson Robert W. Wagner, IV.
Teddy’s faith in God, positive attitude and beautiful smile will be with us forever. “Wherever I am, God is. And all is well.”
Family invites friends to Lee Funeral Home Calvert, Owings, MD 20736 on Saturday, January 12 at 9 am until start Funeral Services at 9:45 am. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in the name of Alice T. Wagner be sent to: St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Rector’s Fund, 730 Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD 21401 ~ or ~ Washington National Cathedral, Preservation Fund, 3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016.
