Larry Wagner died June 6 at the age of 62. His obituary made mention that he was a loving husband and papaw. He had worked at Snap-on Tools for over 25 years.

But, the obituary never told us who Larry Wagner really was, except for his survivors.

We have since learned that Larry Wagner savored life, and I dare say that like all persons he often took a step back to really appreciate the value of life and took from it what he could.

He was a creative person, who saw the value in old things. His granddaughter, Mindy Brown, shared that Larry enjoyed re-storing old pieces of furniture, which he often purchased at flea markets, yard sales, and ‘junk” stores. His passion for antiques led him to a second passion — yard sales and flea markets. Mindy said her grandfather loved to venture out early on Saturday mornings, searching for something, though he didn’t always know quite what it was that he needed to find. “He mainly loved to find a bargain, especially an antique,” Mindy said.

In addition to looking for a bargain or a prized piece of furniture to re-store, Larry saw yard sales and flea markets as opportunities to bump into neighbors or old friends or to meet new people.

“My grandfather was a hard worker. He was always working, doing something,” she said. Larry had a small farm in Hampton and enjoyed gardening and having a few cattle. “He grew a little bit of everything in his garden, which he oftentimes shared with others,” Mindy said.

One of her fondest childhood memories of Larry is going to the cattle market with him.

In addition to cattle, Larry had goats, chickens and guinea hens.

“At Christmas time, my grandfather and grandmother and her sister and husband made holiday garlands and wreaths, which they sold to make a little extra money. The garland and wreaths were made of balsam and pine, which they gathered. One dealer came all the way from Ohio every Christmas to buy the wreaths and garland. Another came from North Carolina. They always sold everything they made,” Mindy shared.

In addition to farming and antiquing, Mindy said her grandfather “loved to cook.” His speciality was gravy and biscuits. “He also was a coffee drinker and enjoyed a good cup of coffee,” she said.

When time permitted, Larry indulged in watching many of the old westerns on television, especially Gunsmoke and Bonanza.

“My grandfather loved his family and enjoyed being with them. He and my grandmother, Grace, had been married for 40 years. She was the love of his life. He was also a doting grandfather,” Mindy said.

His only granddaughter described Larry as a “simple man, who always wore Wrangler jeans and a button-up T-shirt. He wasn’t much of a church-goer, but Papaw was a Christian. He was kind and friendly, and he would take the shirt off his back and give it if there was a need.”

An obituary is not so much about recording death, as it is about celebrating someone’s life, achievements or moments in history. Larry Wagner was sick and unable to do much for a few years before his death…but the years in between birth and death were filled with many good things and good memories for his wife and grandchildren.