Miss Wauseon Homecoming Queen – Ohio Festival Royalty

Since 1934, a Homecoming festival has taken place each summer in the small northwestern Ohio town of Wauseon.  This year not only commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Wauseon, Ohio Homecoming, but it also marks the 30th anniversary of my year as Miss Wauseon Homecoming 1984. The Wauseon Homecoming Queen contest was my very first pageant experience and was the springboard to making top five at the Miss Ohio Pageant, winning the title of Mrs. Michigan, and a career in music.

After my graduation from high school in South Lyon, Michigan, I moved to Wauseon while I attended the University of Toledo. Although I moved back to Michigan after my college graduation, I still consider Wauseon, Ohio to be my second home.

Being chosen the queen of the 1984 Wauseon Homecoming was particularly special because we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the festival. The theme of the Homecoming that year was “Golden Memories, Golden Dreams” so, for the queen’s pageant, I performed an original medley of 1930s-era songs titled “Golden Melodies”. I was very proud of that performance and to say that I was thrilled when I won just doesn’t quite describe how I felt. I will never forget it!

Shirley Fields Joseph was crowned as the first Wauseon Homecoming Queen in 1952 and the tradition continues today. Below is a list of all of the Miss Wauseon Homecoming titleholders to date. I am very proud to be among them!  I will continue to update this list as new winners are chosen each year.

1952 – Shirley Fields Joseph
1953 – Unknown
1954 – Joann Oden Bernath
1955 – Unknown
1956 – Talent show, no queen
1957 – Talent show, no queen
1958 – Sharon Neis Kolb
1959 – Marietta Andrews Roy
1960 – Violet Andrews Gerig
1961 – Susan Hoy Glaubitz
1962 – Patricia Sapp Kissel
1963 – Sue Ann Lockman Massar
1964 – Frankie Kunkle Parrott
1965 – Darlene Grove Rupp
1966 – Marlee Patton Cooley
1967 – Tia Ross Cantu
1968 – Lois Wentz Bruno
1969 – Ann Andrews Foote
1970 – Renee Evans
1971 – Jackie Goldsmith Zeigler
1972 – Sharon Clark Schwall
1973 – Jody Hoeffel Ely
1974 – Denise Campbell
1975 – Debbie Williams Towns
1976 – Robin Behnfeldt Small
1977 – Erin Lynn Riley
1978 – Deb Valentine Roach
1979 – Diane Tennant Howe
1980 – Kathy Bechtel Dennis
1981 – Juliet Paxson Seling
1982 – Dawn Stutzman Kauffman
1983 – Marsela Menchaca
1984 – Kristina Austin Scarcelli
1985 – Kathy Bell Kahrs
1986 – Cyndi Ricker Cassidy
1987 – Wendy Miller Hardy
1988 – Danielle Borton
1989 – Kristi Walborn
1990 – Tracy Boltz Estrel
1991 – Amanda Smith Hunter
1992 – Elizabeth Precht
1993 – Dorothy Crockett
1994 – Blythe Gresser
1995 – Jeanette Rorick
1996 – Jennifer Nelson Imber
1997 – Molly Head DeWeese
1998 – Julie Kuntz Bame
1999 – Tia Goodwin Webb
2000 – Heidi Hammontree Mekus
2001 – Shauna Hunt Slusher
2002 – Jill Burkholder
2003 – Jessica Noirot Marlatt
2004 – Taylor Cunningham
2005 – Natalia Jensen
2006 – Sarah Beachy Smallman
2007 – Heather Harper
2008 – Emily Wise Wolf
2009 – Bethany Wilson Rupp
2010 – Lauren Zehr
2011 – Morgan Williams Martens
2012 – Kendra Petersen Kamp
2013 – Tanner Ely Puehler
2014 – Cassidy Wells Herman
2015 – Emily Legenza
2016 – Emalee Stewart
2017 – Abriana Hernandez
2018 – Monica Betz
2019 – Olivia Clark
2020 – Homecoming canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 – Ann Spieles
2022 – Haleigh Wurst

To connect with other former Wauseon Homecoming Queens and fans of the pageant, please “Like” our Facebook page.  For more information on the Wauseon Homecoming, please visit wauseonhomecoming.com.