BARBERTON--(Mary) Louise (Wagner) Factor, 92, died January 14, 2017 under the attentive care of Pleasant View in Barberton, Ohio.  She was born October 12, 1924 in Carrollton, Ohio to Frank H. and Dorothy (Burrier) Wagner. Louise and her sister (Helen) Jeanne marked the sixth generation of Wagners in Carroll County.  Louise was the salutatorian and member of the award-winning debate team at Carrollton High School.  During World War II she became a cadet nurse at Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.  Afterwards she attended the University of Minnesota and received a B.Sc. degree in Public Health.

Louise met Donald Factor on a blind date arranged by their college roommates.  They were married December 17, 1949 in Minneapolis.  Louise and Don moved to Barberton in 1950, where Louise worked as a nurse at Barberton Citizens Hospital before starting a family, and Don spent his career as a chemical engineer at PPG.

For many years Louise and Don enjoyed bridge club and bowling with other couples from PPG and the Barberton area.  They were longtime members of First Lutheran Church in Barberton.  In the summer they loved to put everyone in the car and take long road trips around the country. 

After all four children were in school, Louise acquired a teaching certificate from Kent State University and, like many Wagners and Burriers before her, she became a schoolteacher.  She taught fifth and sixth grade at Arnold and Johnson Elementary Schools for twenty years.  She earned a reputation as a firm disciplinarian and excellent science teacher.  After retiring, she volunteered many hours in the gift shop of Barberton Hospital.

Louise embodied the stoic Midwestern values of her ancestors:  hard work, integrity, civic-mindedness, realism, and self-reliance.  Books and education were central to her family, and she was an avid reader of books and newspapers who was always interested in current events.  She will be remembered as a beloved wife and mother, loyal friend, devoted teacher, and caregiver.

She is survived by her children David (Rosanne) Factor, Ann (Frank) Ponikvar, Sue Factor, and Janet (Randolph Elble) Factor;  grandchildren Teresa Ponikvar, Gregory Ponikvar, Daniel Factor, and Andrew Factor;  great-grandchildren Isaias Alonso Ponikvar, Ariana Factor, and Elena Factor;  and niece Jane Barton. 

Private burial services have been held.  A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 4, at 11:00 a.m. at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 249 2nd. St. N.W., Barberton, Ohio.

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