Born on January 27, 1929, in Jamaica Queens, New York, Mr. Wagner was the second son born to William Tobias Wagner, Jr. and Phyllis Marion Gooding Wagner. If the voluminous and meticulously conducted research by his late brother Skip Wagner is accurate, Mr. Wagner was believed to have been the 9th great-grandson of Mayflower passenger Thomas Rogers. In addition, Mr. Wagner was a direct decedent of two Revolutionary War veterans, Paul Otis born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire in March of 1755, and Matthew Gooding, born in April of 1734 in Dighton, New York who served as a private then lieutenant in the Massachusetts militia in from 1779-1780.
Mr. Wagner was the also the grandson of Una (Erna) Ernestine Spencer Gooding, born in Columbus, Ohio in 1876. After becoming completely deaf at 18 months of age probably as a result of milk fever, Ms. Gooding entered Dr. Alexander Graham Bell's Clark School for the Deaf in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1884. Dr. Bell personally attended Ms. Gooding's graduation as he considered her one of the most outstanding students. Ms. Gooding's success helped Dr. Bell prove his "oral method" could be used to assist those deaf individuals who had never heard speech to communicate by use of actual speech and lip reading as opposed to relying on sign language.
Raised with his brother "Skip" in Lincoln Park, a borough of Morris County, New Jersey, Mr. Wagner's early years were spent with a menagerie of cats, dogs and farm animals including pet goats. Mr. Wagner's family were among the first to raise puppies for eventual placement as guide dogs for the blind, probably on behalf of The Seeing Eye, Inc., located in Morristown, New Jersey which is listed as the oldest seeing eye dog organization in the world.
Mr. Wagner attended St. Bernard's School located in Gladstone, New Jersey, which at the time was a boys only Episcopalian boarding school. While a student at St. Bernard's, Rod “Whitey” Wagner played multiple sports, including serving as the football team captain for his senior year, as well as the manager of basketball and baseball teams. After his graduation in 1947, Mr. Wagner remained a loyal alumni of St. Bernard's, now known as Gill St. Bernard's School. "Whitey" credited his years at St. Bernard's with providing him with the academic and moral foundations which guided him throughout his later life. As an alumnus he was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame. In the early 1990's Mr. Wagner worked with other St. Bernard's alumni to raise $50,000 for the endowment of the St. Bernard’s School Chair of Excellence in teaching. Now in it's 25th year, the Chair is awarded to a worthy full time faculty member in honor of his or her outstanding work educating the school's students.
Subsequent to his graduation from high school Mr. Wagner worked as automobile mechanic in Nutley, New Jersey until he entered the General Motors Institute (GMI) of Engineering and Management in Flint Michigan in October of 1948 to pursue a two year automotive training program in dealership operations and management certificate. After successfully obtaining his Certificate of Completion from GMI in August of 1950, Mr. Wagner was inducted into the United States Army in January of 1951. He served two years of active duty predominately in post World War II occupied Germany, and upon his release from active duty he served another four years in the Army Reserve. He was Honorably Discharged in March of 1957. Mr. Wagner was a Master Mason, having been a member of the Mountain View Lodge in located in Wayne, New Jersey for over 66 years at the time of his death.
Mr. Wagner was hired by Oldsmobile Division of General Motors in 1956 and spent thirty years with the company primarily overseeing the service departments of the dealerships in whatever region he was assigned to. Over his years with Oldsmobile he worked with and for many individuals who would become life long friends. After being transferred back forth to office New York City on two occasions over a period of thirteen years, his final transfer occurred in July of 1969 when he was made the Assistant Zone Manager for service in the Jacksonville Division. He spent his last year with Oldsmobile as it's chief facility planner, and went on to design dealerships and conduct accident investigations for several years after his retirement. Mr. Wagner was also an avid private pilot who took great joy in buzzing his home during the years his flew his Piper 140 from the 1970's through the mid 1990's.
Upon his return from Germany, in February of 1953, Mr. Wagner met the young lady who was to become his wife of 52 years, Barbara, whom he married on October 2, 1954, and who preceded him in death in 2006. He is also preceded in death by older brother William Tobias "Skip" Wagner III, who passed from this life in 1998, he leaves behind several nieces and nephews born to his brother "Skip" , as well as late wife's remaining cousin Alan Sofield and his wife Lee, also of Jacksonville. Finally, he leaves behind to cherish his memory his daughter Carolyn Wagner, Esquire, of Jacksonville and his granddaughter Whitney M. Wagner who currently attends Florida State University. Mr. Wagner's incredible generosity is reflected by the fact that he ensured both his daughter, and now his granddaughter could attend FSU without having to go into debt for their tuitions.
Mr. Wagner's remains will be interred with his late wife in Jacksonville, Florida at a later date yet to be determined
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