On Saturday, November 23, 2024, Honnie Amor Fernández Wagner died peacefully in her sleep at Rolling Meadows Assisted Living located in Catonsville, MD.

Honnie is survived by her daughter, Joyce Ramsburg, her husband Ross; her grandson, Chris Ramsburg;  and her son, Gail "Hap" Wagner, his wife Betty Jane, "BJ" Wagner.  She is preceded in death by many loved ones, including  her husband, John; her youngest son, Joel; and her eldest son, Arthur. 

Please join us on Saturday, January 11th, 2025 at 11 AM for her services at Linthicum Heights United Methodist Church located at 200 School Lane, Linthicum, MD. 21061

Honnie was born April 24, 1927 in Anmoore, WV. Her parents, Emilio Fernández Alvarez and Aurora Menéndez Conde, immigrated to the US via Cuba from their home in the northern Spanish province of Asturias. They selected to settle in US towns, like Anmoore, that had an Asturian immigrant community. Honnie was the youngest of seven children, and being the youngest, was cherished by her older brothers and sisters. She liked being raised on a farm and often reminisced about her youth through stories of gardening, farm animals, school, and chores. She loved her mother’s cooking and spoke of her with admiration and pride. Her mother passed away when Honnie was only 12 years old. Honnie often spoke with gratitude that her sisters took such good care of her during those difficult years. 

While attending college at WVU she blossomed into a vibrant, energetic, and enthusiastic young athlete. She was ready and able to play a variety of sports, including tennis, baseball, swimming, and her favorite, basketball. She also developed a love for hiking, which continued on through her later life. Amazingly, she also found time to study, and graduated as a talented young artist with a BFA. During these early years, Honnie was employed as a teacher in an elementary school. She was a skilled teacher, who came equipped with compassion and an eye to recognize the young ones who struggled either in class or at home. She did her best to prop them up and ease their lives in whatever ways she could. She loved her young pupils and spoke of them often, even into her 90s.  Honnie always loved reading and as a teacher, it mattered to her to instill that same love in her pupils, and later, her own children. All her life, she was an avid reader, especially of mysteries, her favorite author being Agatha Christie. 

Also, during her time at WVU, Honnie met John at a Methodist college group. They fell in love and were married July 7, 1951. They had four children together — Arthur, Joyce, Gail (Hap), and Joel. Joel was born with a number of health problems and doctors were not hopeful for his life, but Honnie was strong in her conviction that they would give Joel the best they possibly could. Joel was greatly loved by the entire family and he thrived far better than the doctors anticipated.

Though she had her hands full, Honnie managed to maintain her creative spark. At various times throughout her life, she enjoyed painting beautiful artwork, sewing clothing and costumes, creating gorgeous quilts, needlepoint, and baking many tasty treats for the kid’s school lunch boxes. She was an attentive mom, and was often involved in projects with and for her children. Perhaps her greatest creative skill was her ability to paint lovely paintings. Her father had been a painter all his life, and it could be that his dedication to art was influential in Honnie’s determination to paint and create as well.

Time marched on and John retired from his job. Honnie and John decided to see more of the world together. They traveled extensively and loved meeting new people and learning about other countries and cultures. Finland, Alaska, New Zealand, and England were some of the places they visited, in addition to her parent's homeland of Avilés and San Cristóbal in northern Spain. They came back home refreshed and excited to tell the stories of their adventures together. Sometimes the friends they had made abroad came to visit them here at their home in Linthicum, MD. 

Life slowed down, as it always eventually must. Her beloved husband passed, then her dear son Joel. Honnie recovered from these losses in time, and continued to paint and create and enjoy family gatherings and time with her friends. In 2022, Honnie’s home caught fire and she had to suddenly move away from all that was familiar to her. But Honnie, being the indomitable spirit that she was, even at the age of 95, sallied forth into another phase of life and moved into a senior independent living apartment. At first, such a big change was a little daunting for her.  However, Honnie made an amazingly smooth adjustment with the help of all family helping out.  Before long, she was enjoying the company and friendship of many of the other residents.  

Honnie was feisty and had great tenacity. She believed you just need to get up and keep going, and she did just that  for 97 1/2  years. She left us filled with admiration for her strength of spirit. When she did succumb to death, Honnie passed on peacefully, as one always hopes for loved ones. Though there is an empty space within us all at her passing, Honnie left us with timeless memories, her wide lovely smile, her sense of humor, and her admirable strength during times of adversity. She is greatly missed. 

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