John Harold Wagner Jr.

John H. Wagner Jr. M.D., beloved husband, father and grandfather, and retired Kaiser Permanente neurologist died Jan. 8, 2015 after a long illness, at an assisted living facility in Carlsbad, Calif. He was 89.

John was born June 3, 1925 in Ottawa, Ill., to John H. Wagner, a practicing dentist, and his wife Marjorie Duke Wagner. John was raised in Henry, Ill., a town of 2,000 alongside the Illinois River. In that era of the 1930s and 1940s, he had many happy memories including hunting trips with his father, dating girls in a 1927 Chevy, playing high school basketball and graduating Henry High School as one of its top students.

John was drafted in 1943 for service in the Army during World War II and spent much of his time stateside including at Fort Benning, Ga. He later served as a radio operator for the 71st Infantry Division in the European Theater during the final months of the war. After his discharge, he enrolled at Knox College, Ill. Due to his high intelligence and hard work, he transferred to Yale Medical School after less than three years.

Near his graduation, John met the love of his life, the former Ardis Adele Davies, a graduate nursing student. After meeting on a blind date, they were married several weeks later. After internship and residency, John and Ardis moved to Los Angeles where he became the first neurologist with the new and controversial Kaiser Permanente Medical Group. John later served as head of the Neurology Department for many years and taught at USC Medical School.

John and Ardis raised four children in the San Fernando Valley and later in Los Feliz. During this period, both became Christians and were active participants at churches they attended in Chatsworth and Los Angeles. They also taught Christian principles to their children. They have many happy family memories including numerous snow skiing and water skiing trips, a site-seeing trip cross country, and vigorous family dinner table discussions (where there was not always agreement!). John was also an avid tennis player and golfer and on one occasion in 1991 hit a hole in one.

After more than 30 years service to Kaiser, John retired. He and Ardis then moved down to the San Diego area. Before and after his retirement, they were world travelers, visiting locations including Europe, China, Russia and Africa. In addition, John and Ardis volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, and teaching children to read in a local school.

John is survived by Ardis and sons John (Wendy), and Paul (Jean), daughters Jeanine Woods (John), and Hae Young Pierce; and grand children Amy Appleby (Grant) and Scott Woods, Sophia and Olivia Pierce, Naomi and Hannah Wagner, and Caitlyn O’Malley. John will be forever missed as a great husband, father, doctor and human being.

The memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside, 2001 South El Camino Real, Oceanside, at 1 pm January 20. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations instead to the Alzheimer’s Association.