Nancy Carolyn Hix Wagnon

Nancy Carolyn Hix Wagnon, 83, passed away January 13, 2024 from causes related to dementia in Indianapolis, Indiana where she had lived since 2016. She grew up in Williamston and Oxford, North Carolina, before moving to Birmingham in 1960. Nancy was active in the arts, serving as Chairperson of the Birmingham Festival of Arts Salute to France for which she was awarded a medal and title Chevalier de L’Ordre des Artes et des Lettres from the Republic of France. She served 25 years on the Photography Guild of the Birmingham Museum of Art. Nancy loved to travel and visited every museum she could as she did. She collected original works from prominent Southern artists and photographers. Nancy ran her own public relations and marketing firm, Wagnon & Associates, primarily promoting women’s businesses; she was active in the Women’s Fund and Downtown Rotary Club. In her later years she sought out the company of younger professional women, joined book clubs and organized an informal “Smart Girls” group to introduce her granddaughters to accomplished women of all ages. Nancy was also passionate about improving race relations in Birmingham. As a young mother she worked with the Girl Scouts Council to establish a troop in downtown public housing developments. Later, she was an avid supporter of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast for many years. She served on the Board of Trustees at Miles College, and the Board of A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club for five years, among other volunteer service. Nancy worked on the campaign to elect Terry Sewell to Congress in 2010 and considered that effort among the greatest privileges and accomplishments of her life. Nancy is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, William Wagnon and Verity A. Jones of Indianapolis, IN; daughter-in-law, Donna Cravey Wagnon of Norfolk, VA; and granddaughters, Sarah Grace Wagnon of Washington, DC, and Emma Carolyn Wagnon of Boston, MA. She was preceded in death by her parents, David N. and Mary Bonner Gurganus Hix; and two children, Mary Bonner Wagnon and David L. Wagnon. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, January 20, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. at Central Christian Church, 701 N. Delaware Street., Indianapolis, IN, with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Nancy’s honor are suggested to the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club, P.O. Box 3970, Birmingham, AL 35208 https://aggastonbgc.org/donate/. Final arrangements and care are entrusted to Shirley Brothers Washington Memorial Chapel. www.shirleybrothers.com.

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Nancy Carolyn Hix Wagnon

April 19, 1940 - January 13, 2024