William J. Wagner MD

Named after his two grandfathers, William Jordan Wagner was born April 19, 1928, in the rural West Texas town of Amherst, Texas, to Isabel Prichard, who valued education, herself born near Canyon, Texas, on land later donated to West Texas State College, and to Robert Lee Wagner, merchant, chiropractor, farmer, and self-taught musician. He passed away June 6, 2023, in Victoria, Texas.

William was the sixth of seven children. He walked or rode horseback to a rural school which encompassed the elementary grades, graduating as valedictorian from Amherst High School prior to enlisting in the Navy at age 17. He married Frances Marcella Curry of Olton, Texas, on November 19, 1944. The marriage, felt by some to be fated to failure, lasted 72 years until Marcella’s death in November 2016, and produced four remarkable children: William Jordan Wagner, Jr.; Theresa Wagner Rutledge; Debra Jodine Wagner, USN Ret; and Toni Michelle Wagner.

Bill, as he was called, completed one semester at Texas Tech College, majoring in engineering, prior to enlisting in the Navy as a Hospital Apprentice in November of 1945. He travelled to San Diego on a train which stalled in Mexico. On his arrival in San Diego he was admitted to Balboa Naval Hospital with the diagnosis of pneumonia, receiving one of the first doses of penicillin ever given. Possessing the skill of typing, he was assigned clerical duty during his recuperation. He served on active duty for two years, attaining the rate of Pharmacist Mate Second Class just prior to his release from active duty in October 1947. He moved his family, which by then included a son, to Canyon, Texas, where he re-entered college in February 1948 at West Texas State, majoring in chemistry and mathematics, and graduating with honors in 1950.

He was accepted at UTMB in Galveston and began medical school in September 1950, working throughout his 4 years of medical school to help support his family, which soon included a daughter. He graduated from medical school in June of 1954 with academic distinction, re-entering the Navy, completed a grueling medical internship at the Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, garnering fascinating stories along the way. He retained a remarkable memory for medical facts and pathophysiology throughout his lifetime. Following completion of his internship he began a two-year residency in Dermatology at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital, during which time his third child, a daughter, was born, and then transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia for his final year of residency training. He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology in 1958, with re-certification by the American Board of Dermatology in 1960.

Following completion of his training he began a long and interesting career as a physician and a Naval Officer, beginning with terms of service at the US Naval Hospital in tropical Guantanamo Bay Cuba (from whence sprung his well-known story of being flown to Haiti with only one corpsman accompanying to attend and successfully resuscitate the comatose diabetic and subsequently very grateful Papa Doc, under the watchful eye of guards with machine guns), and subsequently to the Naval Hospital in Corpus Christi, where his fourth child, a daughter, was born.

He resigned his Naval commission in 1962 to enter private practice and care for his invalid mother, later engaging in drug evaluation and research in New York State, re-entering the Navy with no loss of rank in 1968 as Assistant Chief of Dermatology at the US Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, VA, with subsequent terms of service at the Marine Corps Base, Camp LeJeune, NC, at Roosevelt Roads Naval Hospital in Puerto Rico, and at the Naval Regional Medical Center, Great Lakes, IL, completing his Naval career at the US Naval Hospital in Annapolis, MD, and retiring as a Navy Captain in September 1979.

Following his Navy retirement Dr. Wagner affiliated with the Veteran’s Administration, serving as medical director of VA Hospitals in Peoria, IL (where he also established the first ever outpatient VA Clinic), Grand Island, Nebraska, Marlin and Waco, Texas. In addition, Dr. Wagner was a proud lifetime member of the Masons, Shriners and the American Legion.

Dr. Wagner is pre-deceased by his wife of 72 years, Marcella, parents and siblings. He is survived by his four children William, Theresa, Debra, and Toni and their spouses, Anne Wagner MD of Victoria, TX; William P Rutledge, of Austin, TX; and Tymme Whight USN Ret., of Cedar Creek, TX; 7 grandchildren, William J. Wagner III and wife Yasmin, of Austin, TX; Arianne Wagner and husband Brian White of Frisco, TX; William C. Rutledge and wife Hannah of Havertown, PA; Stacy E. Rutledge of Austin, TX; Richard Whight of Austin, TX; Jennifer Whight of Pensacola, FL, and Jason N. Wagner of Brooklyn, NY; five great grandchildren – Isabel S. Wagner and Holden L. Wagner, of Austin, TX; Kali N. Kugler, of Sturtevant, WI; and Virginia K. Rutledge and William A. Rutledge of Havertown, PA; as well as many beloved nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews, and great grand nieces and nephews.

The family wishes to thank Larry Riedel MD, for his care and friendship over the years, beginning as a medical school contemporary; the caring staff of Morada Senior Living; Angels Health Care and especially Bobbie Sue Jalufa; Hospice of South Texas; and his infinitely caring sitters, Lisa Olguin, April Gutierrez, and Mara Soto.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to: fightcf.cff.org/goto/gayleflorio2023 and in the comments add: In memory of Uncle Bill (Dr. William Wagner), or for those that are so inclined, checks may be written to the Kansas Chapter, Attn: Fighting with the Florios, with a comment: In memory of Uncle Bill (Dr. William Wagner)

Fighting with the Florios

Great Strides

Heart of America

2405 Grand Blvd Ste 520

Kansas City, MO 64108

Phone: 816-406-3935

Email: [email protected]

Bill has two great grand nieces, Sophia (soon to be 14) and Savannah (12) Florio, who have been on their CF journey for 13 years. Their grandmother, Gayle Florio, Bill’s niece, has been doing the CF walks for those 13 years.

Words of comfort, condolences and fond memories may be shared with the family at www.rosewoodfuneralchapel.com.