Memorials › Barbara Teresa Wagner Shead

Barbara Teresa Wagner Shead

23 Nov 1921 – 3 Apr 2016

Birth23 Nov 1921
Death3 Apr 2016
CemeteryAlta Loma Cemetery
Santa Fe , Galveston County , Texas , USA
Added byFloyd Lanny Martin on 04 Apr 2016
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/160493600

Bio

Barbara Teresa Shead Barbara Wagner Shead passed away from this life Sunday afternoon, April 3, 2016 in Santa Fe with her loving family beside her. Born November 23, 1921 in Plantersville, Texas, the 5th of 8 children of Daniel & Catherine Martin Wagner. Her parents were German Russians, born in Odessa, Russia and immigrated to America as small children through Ellis Island and then taking a boat trip to Galveston and eventually settling in Navasota. (Plantersville) Barbara was born during very harsh times in America. Her mother died when she was 12 years old. So she and her siblings learned to take care of a 3 month old baby (Eugenia), work in the house and out in the fields. Babies were not typically fed with bottles back then, and it was very difficult. Since there was no refrigeration, the family had to milk a cow frequently to get milk for the baby and then boil it to sterilize it. An aunt had offered to take the baby but all the siblings voted to keep Eugenia. Barbara and her siblings spoke German and learned the English language only while attending school. School was a two room building. School meant she received 2 new dresses and a pair of high top shoes to wear to walk to school. They had over a mile walk through fields with weeds and mud. On bad weather days they took a horse and a mule. In a hurry to get home, the mules would run and the children would sometimes fall off. School only went to the 8th grade in their community. So at this time she started her working career. She and her older sister worked as Nannies. Her first job was $3.00 per week. Barbara enjoyed going to dances with her brothers, sisters, and cousins. She talks about her brothers selling bootleg whisky at these dances while she sat in the car to guard the whiskey. When she was 17, she met a young man from Dobbin. He would come on horseback to date her and later in a car. In November 1940, she married George “Jake” Shead. Barbara was the 1st of 3 siblings from the Wagner family to marry siblings from the Shead Family. They received 6 Silver Dollars at their wedding. They moved to Dickinson and to this day Mother had the $6.00 hidden in case they needed to get back to Plantersville and needed bus fare. Barbara and Jake became rice farmers in Dickinson. She learned to drive a large truck to haul the rice to the rice dryers in Alvin. During the war, she talked about seeing German Prisoners of War working for a local farmer in Dickinson and she said hello to them in German. They ran to her asking her questions about Germany and who was winning the war. She talked to them until the guards asked her to leave. Barbara & Jake slowly saved money to buy their own farm. In 1952 they took $3,000.00 in cash in a paper sack to the bank, bought 80 acres and moved to Alta Loma, which is now Santa Fe. Jake along with other family members built their home. They had a chicken farm, raising pullets and 2,000 caged hens for selling eggs. Barbara had an egg route all over Galveston County. Later they expanded to Cattle and horses, and each head of cattle had a name, quite a job for over 100 head of cattle. Every morning she was known to saddle up her horse and ride the pasture to check on each and every cow or bull that they owned. Most of the family food was raised on the farm and summers were spent canning and making pickles and preserves and Quilts. Over time, they added other animals to the ranch including pigs as well as a smoke house, to make sausage like she had while growing up. Barbara had many careers. In addition to farming and ranching, she drove the school bus for Shrine of True Cross Catholic School. It was very important to Barbara that all of her children attended Catholic School. So this helped pay the tuition. She also worked for Weiner’s Department Store in Sales, and as a secretary for Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School. She was active in the Extension Service 4-H Club and Home Demonstration Club, as well as the Farm & Ranch Club where she participated in the Galveston County Trail Rides and Parades. She was active in Our Lady of Lourdes Friendship Club and the Senior Citizens Group at Thelma Webber Center, where she served as an officer for many years. She was an avid domino player, including Texas 42 and card player enjoying Solitaire, Skip-Bo and many other card games . She survived many accidents and illnesses but in 1998 she was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, to maintain her sight she had over 45 shots in her eyeball. Even though she was declared legally blind, many never knew it as she lived as if she had 100% sight. Up until only the last few years of her life she walked on a treadmill daily for at least 30 minutes. She was a TRUE TEXAS WOMAN---Tough, No Nonsense, strict, doing whatever had to be done. But she loved to laugh and had a great sense of humor loving a good story. During her lifetime, she saw the world go from lights of a Kerosene Lantern to electricity and transportation from horse & buggies to the modern transportation of today. She also loved babies, little children, family & friends. She is preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, Jake Shead, and granddaughter Emma Leigh Baker. Also preceding her in death are her siblings Jack Wagner, Joe Wagner, Mike Wagner, Verna Wagner Morse and Mary “Maggie” Wagner Shead. She is survived by her children, Gladys Haak and husband Raymond, Barbara Copeland and husband OJ, Judy Wright and husband John all of Santa Fe, Shirley Chambers and husband Dennis and a son George Martin Shead all from Houston, 11 grandchildren and 27 great grandchildren and 17 great- great-grandchildren. A sister Eugenia Johnson of Houston and a brother Dan Wagner and wife Josephine of Santa Fe survive her. She was a devout Catholic and a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Hitchcock, Texas. The family would like to thank her caretaker, Dorothy, Hospice A-Med, and their wonderful nurses and staff. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make memorials in the form of donations to Macular Degeneration Foundation of America. www.macular.org Casket bearers will be some of the grandchildren, Clint Douglas, Kirk Douglas, Travis Wright, Cory Gabba, Harold Love, Jake Douglas, Jared Douglas & Aaron Chambers. A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 6, 2016 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church with Reverend John Kappe, Celebrant. Interment will follow at Alta Loma Cemetery, under the direction of Hayes Funeral Home. Visitation will be held from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday at Hayes Funeral Home, 10412 Highway 6 (409)925-3501, with a vigil service beginning at 7:00 with Deacon Alvin Lovelady officiating. The Rosary will be led by Our Lady of Lourdes Altar Society. www.HayesFuneralHome.com Apr 4 2016 Galveston Daily News

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