Gina E. Wagner, 34, of Shawano, passed away after a courageous battle with metastatic ocular melanoma.
Gina was born in Minneapolis on June 24, 1981, to Sean Mahto and Victoria Wagner. She graduated from Shawano High School in 1999. Gina had a passion for music, playing both the piano and clarinet as well as singing. Her love for music led her to Lawrence University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in music in 2003. She continued her music education at the University of Colorado at Boulder. On June 24, 2011, she was united in marriage to David Helsel in Firestone, Colorado. She returned to Shawano in 2012 with her family. In her free time she enjoyed being outdoors, hiking and camping. She loved nothing more than spending time with her family.
Gina is survived by her husband, David; their son, Owynn Helsel; her mother, Victoria Wagner, of Shawano; her father, Sean Mahto, of St. Paul, Minnesota; as well as her paternal grandfather, Ted Mahto.
A gathering of family and friends will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, at Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano. A celebration of Gina’s life is being planned for the summer of 2016.
Memorials can be directed to The Ocular Melanoma Foundation, A Cure In Sight or The Cancer Research Institute.