Augusta, KY – Wilma June Wagel Wallace, 93, passed away from complications of Parkinson’s Disease on Saturday, September 14, 2024 at Highlandspring in Ft. Thomas, KY. Wilma was born on June 19, 1931 in Bracken County, KY to the late Harry Walter Wagel and Carrie Mabel (Redden) Wagel. She is survived by her husband of 68 years, Mack Lee Wallace, whom she married in Georgetown, OH on March 30, 1956.
Wilma is also survived by her eldest daughter, Amy (Jeffrey) Jones of Foster; two granddaughters, Kelly (Austin) Miller of Bedford, IN and Kara (Sullivan) Simpson of Lexington, KY; two great grandsons, Walker Miller and Brooks Simpson; and her son-in-law, Mark Thornberry of Newport, KY.
Along with her parents, Wilma was preceded in death by her youngest daughter, Melinda Wallace Thornberry, who passed on October 15, 2021.
Wilma was a 1951 graduate of Bracken County High School in Brooksville, KY. After graduating High School, Wilma traveled by train to attend Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond. EKU was where Wilma met her future husband, Mack, from Pulaski County, KY. Wilma was a 1955 graduate of EKU with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics and later earned her 5th Year Graduate Degree from Morehead State University.
Wilma taught Home Economics for 37 years. For 17 years, from 1955 to 1972, Wilma taught at High Schools in Southwest Ohio, then for 20 years, Wilma taught at Augusta High School until she retired in 1992.
For 33 years, from 1981 to 2014, Wilma and her husband, Mack, owned Jeans and Such Clothing Store on Main Street in Augusta.
Wilma was a member of the Augusta Christian Church, a Friend of the Augusta Independent Educational Foundation, a member of the Augusta Rotary Club, the Augusta Eastern Star-Chapter #362, the Bracken County Retired Teachers, the Bracken County Chamber of Commerce, the Bracken County Extension Homemakers, and a Pioneer Member of the EKU Alumni Association.
Funeral will be at 1:00 PM Friday, September 20, 2024 at Moore and Parker Funeral Home in Augusta, KY. Burial will be at the Brooksville Cemetery. Visitation will be 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Friday at the Funeral Home in Augusta.
Memorials are suggested to: Augusta Independent Educational Foundation, Inc. at: 307 Bracken Street, Augusta, KY 41002 or Camp Northward Christian Camp & Retreat Center at: P.O. Box 128, Falmouth, KY 41040.