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Liesel L. (Wagner) Southerly, 95 of Biglerville passed away peacefully at Paramount Nursing & Rehab in Fayetteville, surrounded by her family on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. She was the beloved wife of the late Jack R. Southerly who passed March 28, 1981.
Born October 24, 1927 in Pirmasens, Germany, she was a daughter of the late Karl and Karolina (Kommerling) Wagner.
Mrs. Southerly is fondly remembered as a devout Christian and devoted member of the Gettysburg Foursquare Church where she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. She also cherished her own personal daily devotions and reading of Scripture. Serving her community, Liesel volunteered for Meals on Wheels, the Lutheran Home and the Bendersville Migrant Center, and participated in fundraising efforts for the American Heart Association. As a cancer survivor herself, she also participated in the Cancer Walk for charity. She also enjoyed reading, baking, knitting, crocheting, embroidering and stamping. In her early life in Germany where she met her husband while he was serving in the U.S. Army, she was employed by the U.S. government as a crystal finisher with the Signal Corps, working on radios for U.S. servicemen. In the U.S., she worked for the Distelfink in the bakery, and served as a cafeteria worker at Biglerville High School. Throughout her entire life, she enjoyed traveling overseas and all over the United States. As a proud U.S. citizen, Liesel participated in 50 consecutive years of voting, for which she was inducted by the governor into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame.
Liesel is survived by five children: Linda C. Wilkinson (Bill II) of Biglerville, Debora K. Poland (Steven) of Mooresville, NC, Michael A. Southerly-Barria (Inelda J. Southerly-Barria) of Indiana, Jeffrey M. Southerly of Gettysburg and Karen S. Cyphert of Lakeland, FL; 14 grandchildren: Tami Adams, Jennifer Miller (Justin), Andrew Wilkinson, Danielle Leben (Mike), Ashley Poland, Justin Poland (fiancé, Megan) Inelda Janeth Ramos (Florentino Ramos-Bautista), Michael A. Southerly, Jr., Joshua M. Southerly, Ryan Southerly, Megan Southerly, Amanda Collins (Brandon), Kenneth Hoff, Jr. and Kristopher Hunter; 22 great-grandchildren: Ashlyn Adams, Brianna Bardusch, Noah Adams, Ariya and Tyler Miller, Bentley and Grayson Wilkinson, Dylan Eiker (Cheyenne), Briana Eiker, Trae Brownley, Amber Fouchie, Savannah Legg, Riley Poland, Westin and Branson Crumbacker, Esther, Elijah, Anna and Daniel Ramos, D’Shaun Mullinex and Kailey and Damien Collins, as well as two sisters-in-law: Frances Orner and Nancy Southerly.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by three brothers: Kurt, Karl and (baby) Siegfreid Wagner, as well as her grandson, Antonio Hunter.
A funeral service to celebrate Liesel’s life will be held on Tuesday, March 28th at 11 am at Peters Funeral Home; 321 Carlisle St. in Gettysburg with Pastor Mark Chester officiating. Interment will follow in Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens in Gettysburg. A time to share memories and an opportunity to view will also be at the funeral home on Monday, March 27th from 6-8 pm, and again on Tuesday morning from 10 am until the start of the service. Following the committal at the cemetery, the family extends an invitation to all guests for a memorial luncheon at Gettysburg Foursquare Church; 328 W. Middle St. in Gettysburg.
For those desiring, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association by visiting https://www.heart.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give or to the American Cancer Society by visiting donate.cancer.org
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