News of Kristan Stephanie Wagner’s untimely death more than a week ago had spread quickly through Ocean Beach — and on Sunday, Dec. 7, dozens of friends and family who knew her gathered at a rocky point of Sunset Cliffs to share stories of her gregarious nature and memorable laugh. Friends set flowers at the foot of her portrait near Hill Street in Ocean Beach before paddling out in honor of the 41-year-old neighbor and Ocean Beach resident who tragically died after falling from the rocky bluffs. On Nov. 30, a passerby reportedly discovered Kristan’s body lying motionless on the rocks along the 800 block of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, according to a statement from the medical examiner’s office website. But even while friends and loved ones mourned the loss of a friend, they celebrated the memory of a person who enjoyed life and loved to laugh. “Her laughter can light up a room,” Deanna Mendoza, Kristan’s cousin, said. “She was a unique person. I’m really happy people showed up.” Overlooking the cliffs and pocket beaches Kristan enjoyed walking regularly, loved ones sought comfort in each other’s arms. The warmth Kristan inspired in others seemed to shine down that day as, one by one, those who knew Kristan best shared stories and laughs with one another. A close friend read a prayer for her before a group paddled out in tribute. Kristan’s father, Robert Wagner, said he didn’t realize Kristan touched so many lives. “As a parent, you know your daughter,” Wagner said, “[but] she did so many things.” Friends comforted Kristan’s father, her mother Marie, brother Robert Jr. and sister Molly in a warm embrace as friends spoke fondly of the kind woman who worked as a hair stylist in a local salon. Nikki van Dobben, an Ocean Beach resident, shared Kristan’s circle of friends. They used to go swimming together in the neighborhood shores of Ocean Beach. “[Kristan] was cheerful and giving, spiritual and kind. [She] loved animals and children,” Van Dobben said. The family planned services for Kristan Wednesday, Dec. 10 at the Catholic Church of Immaculate Conception in Old Town.
