Walter D. Wagner

Walter Dennis Wagner, age 76, passed away on April 17, 2024. At his bedside, were his wife of 53 years, Janet (nee Dougherty); his three daughters, Beth, Lori, and Christy; and his granddaughter Madeline. Though being surrounded by five opinionated women wasn’t what killed him. Yes, that would have done in lesser men, but in a testament to Walt’s love for his family, seeing these and his other family members both last week and every day prior gave him strength to battle cancer for eighteen months.

Walt also leaves behind three sons-in-law, Denver, Josh, and Andrew; and five other grandchildren, Adam, Benjamin, Nicholas, Thomas, and Scarlett. Plus a brother, Kenny, and his family; a brother-in-law, Ed, and his family; lots of friends with whom he played bridge; a crew of buddies with whom he played go-to-the-bar-instead-and-have-a-couple-beers, um, we mean racquetball; and many other people whose lives Walt touched. And his loyal cat, Milo.

Walt was an accomplished man, with many academic and professional achievements. He was a civil engineer with degrees from Columbia University; he achieved Life Master status in the game of bridge; and he was a successful project manager whose buildings have won accolades. However, he was much prouder of his wife and daughters’ achievements than his own. And anyway, what he will be remembered for isn’t for what he did, but for who he was. He was a man of great integrity, honesty, and decency; he was patient and kind; he was generous to anybody who needed help, whether his family and friends, his renters and clients, the people he helped as a co-founder of a foundation for homeless families, or strangers on the street; and he was a dedicated and exhaustive caretaker for his family, especially for his grandchildren which meant stoically enduring more Disney-, Sesame-, Thomas-, and Blippi-themed entertainment than a man should have to bear.

Walt’s personality quirks will also be remembered. His ability to misinterpret Pictionary clues was legendary (“stuffed animal” doesn’t mean taxidermy, Walt). He was a savant at finding last minute deal cruises, and he boldly sailed the globe gathering a story about pretty much any place you could name. He liked keeping pet fish, except for that time he accidentally inbred some and created a mutant race of deformed guppies. He enjoyed complaining about inflation until there actually was some, about the Democrats until he voted for them, and about Indian food until he tried it. Chef Walt’s gourmet spaghetti recipe – Ragu with Sam’s Club sausage in a slow cooker – wowed his grandchildren. Every Christmas, he gave you fresh wiper blades whether your car needed them or not, carefully wrapped in festive paper so that this year you couldn’t guess what you were getting. He appreciated the Zen in well-built houses, a fully stocked fish store, kite flying on the beach, and a frozen yogurt with just the right mix of toppings and flavors.

We hope you will reach out and share your own memories of him. Visitation for Walt will be held on Thursday, May 2, 2024, from 4pm – 6pm at the Shoedinger Worthington Funeral Home, 6699 North High St., Worthington OH, 43085 followed by a time for remembrance from 6-6:30 pm followed by a Celebration of Life at 7pm at J.Gilberts. A Memorial Mass will be held May 3, 2024 at 11am, at St. Peter Catholic Church, 6899 Smokey Row Rd., Columbus, Ohio 43235.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank.