Shirley Ann Cox Wagner

Shirley Ann Cox Wagner, of Greenville, South Carolina died on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at the age of 92. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Richard Siegfried Wagner, ten years ago, in 2015.

Born on October 4, 1933, in rural Davison County, on a farm in Mitchell, South Dakota, Shirley was the only daughter of Clayton Walter and Hazel Rowley Cox and sister to three brothers: big brother Dick (Richard), kindred spirit and older brother Bob (Robert), and baby brother Duane, all of whom preceded her in death.

Shirley graduated from Plano High School in 1951 and subsequently attained her Nursing degree from the Methodist Hospital School of Nursing at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell. Spanning more than 40 years, Shirley’s career culminated with her service as a specialized Surgical Operating Room nurse. As the very first nurse at St. Francis Hospital to attain Certified Operating Room Nurse certification, Shirley was suitably proud of the “CNOR” credential appended to her “RN” title. She spent her last decade of nursing service as Team Leader for the St. Francis Ophthalmology Surgical Group in Greenville. Her passion for serving her patients and medical team, along with her deep commitment to excellence, were not only widely admired and appreciated by patients, families, physicians, and colleagues, but also provided an inspirational example to her peers and younger members of her profession for whom she was a role model and mentor.

Shirley’s continual curiosity, passion for learning, and service to others overflowed from the professional to the personal sphere. Having been an active member of various Christian churches and parishes over the course of her lifetime, Shirley worshipped during her final years at First Baptist Church in Greenville, a church sharing her passion for inclusivity and social justice, that ultimately became her church home. Among her many social and community pursuits, her longstanding membership in the Mary Magdalene Book Club—which she herself described as “a support group dedicated to study of diversity in religions and life in general, always seeking truth and spiritual awareness”—endured as one of her favorites. Shirley was also an avid student in Furman University’s OLLI program (the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute), and a longstanding, devoted member of her gardening group, Pelham Trails Garden Club. A lifelong lover of music, Shirley and her late husband supported both the Greenville Symphony Guild and Greenville Symphony Orchestra, which she and Richard attended regularly. Shirley especially relished her many trips around the world with her beloved Richard, especially those to his Austrian homeland.

In addition to the many friends she held so dear—both lifelong and more recent, young and old—Shirley is survived by her three children and two stepdaughters: a son, Eric Miller and his wife Roxanna of Danville, California; a daughter Anita Jane Miller and her fiancé Alan Morehead from Westminster; a daughter DeAnne Miller Grove and husband Allen of Chesapeake, Virginia; Minou Kent and husband David from Mount Pleasant; and Alexandra Wagner from Dallas, Texas.

Like the farm girl that she was, Shirley also remained close to her extended family, be they back home in South Dakota or far and wide. Notably, she was preceded in death by two family members of her generation who were like sisters to her: Her sister-in-law, Rosy Cox, and her cousin, Letha Rowley, with whom she grew up. Shirley also nurtured loving relationships with many nieces and nephews who celebrate her life and mourn her absence, including Kathy, Kenneth, Karen, Kay, Jeffery (who predeceased her), and Gregory, all of whom share the Cox family heritage. Shirley is also survived by thirteen grandchildren, including Alexandra Moran and husband Anthony of Pensacola, Florida; Buckley Fulghum, Victoria Vowan Blackwell, Claire Mayer and her husband Dillon, all of Charleston; RaeLynn Miller and partner Eric White of Sonora, California; Davis Miller and wife Rebecca of Denver, Colorado; Jacob Grove of Chesapeake, Virginia; Alexandra and Hanna Kent of Charleston; and Ava, Tristan, August and Rowan Ryan of Dallas, Texas. To date, eight great-grandchildren also bless the bounty! No doubt, Grandma Shirley will be dearly missed by all.

Upon a date in the spring of 2026 still to be determined, a Memorial Service and Celebration of Life will be held at First Baptist Church in Greenville, with Senior Minister Dr. Carol McEntyre officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Shirley’s memory may be made to OLLI at Furman University, and the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Research Association.