Mavis Dralla Wagner, 88, passed away on May 7, 2024, in Fargo, ND. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at 10:30 am at Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home in Fargo with visitation before service beginning at 9:30 am. July 10 in Northwood, Iowa, at 2 pm at Olson Community Room, there will be memory sharing and hymn singing (singing from the two pages of hymns Mavis requested at her funeral) followed by a graveside service.
Mavis was born on May 28, 1935, the first child of Hazel (Reyerson) and Leo Dralla. She grew up in Northwood, Iowa (with a few years in PA during the war), along with her sister Eileen Dahlby. In Northwood, she found her love of music while singing in choirs and playing piano for the church.
She graduated from Northwood High in 1953. Mavis met Ray Wagner in Northwood. They were married in 1956 and moved to Ames, IA.
Mavis attended Luther College from 1953-56. She graduated in 1959, having returned to Luther after the birth of their daughter Miriam. She taught K-12 music for a few years before the family’s return to Ames and the arrival of their second daughter Reece.
She then began to teach private piano lessons in their home and was the organist or directed church choirs in Council Bluffs and Bettendorf, where they welcomed their daughter Theta. The family moved to Fargo, ND in 1972 where Mavis continued to teach private piano lessons. Mavis served in many capacities with the Fargo-Moorhead Music Teachers Association, including President, and.
