William Joseph Wagner's Obituary
William “Bill” Joseph Wagner, 85, was born on December 1, 1938, to the late Paul Anthony and Margaret Frances Wagner.
Bill passed peacefully from this life into the loving arms of our Lord on April 8, 2024. Beloved husband of Joan M. Wagner (nee Ulan) for 64 years. Cherished father of Colleen (James) Gross, Kathleen (Jeffrey) Winkler, Kelly (Dean) Sutter, and Kristine (Rick Kwiecien) Wagner. Devoted Papa of Lauren (Deeppreet “Bobby”) Singh, Shannon (Peter) Suhodolsky, Jennifer (Michael) Kaminski, Ryan William (Kara) Klima, and Kristen (Philip) Costanzo. Loving great-grandpa honey of Ajay, Liliana, Noah, Landon, Lyla, Bennett, Jimmy, Olivia, Kylan, Sophia, Grant William, Philip, and William “Liam.” Dearest brother and brother-in-law of Donny Wagner (deceased), James (Barbara) Wagner, Judith (Bob) Conroy (deceased), Paul "Butch" Wagner (deceased), and James (deceased) (Lourdes) Ulan. Loving uncle of Michael (Karen) Wagner, Shelly Blaine, Jimmy (Heather) Wagner, Robin (Matthew) Bernard, Paul Wagner, Stacy (Mark) Baker, Matt Conroy, Karessa (Tyler) Borja, Katarina “Katie” Ulan, and Anton “AJ” Ulan. Cherished friend to everyone who knew Bill.
Bill will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He lived his life following three core principles: being a faithful servant to the Lord, providing love and devotion to his family, and serving others. He proudly served his country in the Navy aboard the USS BEARSS DD-654. He loved driving, and spent the majority of his career as a truck driver for Jones Transfer where he earned yearly safe driving commendations.
Bill loved his family beyond measure, and raised four daughters with his high school “Honey” Joan. His legacy of support for his family and loving guidance lives on through his children and future generations.
Bill was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and hunting. He loved nature, whether he was experiencing the solitude of it while sitting in his tree stand in the woods, watching nature programs on TV, or reading books. The family enjoyed 40 years of vacationing together at their favorite Canadian destination of Irwin Inn on Stoney Lake. Bill also loved Alaska and Hawaii. He enjoyed several cruises with Joan over the years.
Bill’s service to others was extraordinary, devoting 40 years of his life to that cause. He founded "The Brown Bag" Ministry at Bethel Christian Church in Parma. He faithfully served the Cleveland community by feeding the homeless and sharing the Word of God with them.
Visitation is Friday, April 19, 2024, from 4-8:00PM at Sunset Memorial Chapel, 6245 Columbia Rd, North Olmsted, OH 44070. A Celebration of Life Service and light luncheon will be Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 11:00AM at Bethel Christian Church, 12901 W. Pleasant Valley Rd., Parma, OH 44130.
Final interment Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Bill’s honor to:
https://alz.org
The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.
https://thecitymission.org
Providing help and hope to Cleveland’s hurting and homeless.
https://puppiesbehindbars.com
Training of Service Dogs for Veterans, First Responders, and Police.
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