Ivan J. Wagner Jr.'s Obituary
Ivan J. Wagner, Jr. Dec. 1, 1919 – Feb. 27, 2012 Former Resident of Oakland Ivan J. Wagner, Jr. was born Dec. 1, 1919, in Sioux City, Iowa, to Ivan J. Sr. and Otilla Hutton, Step-mother Laura. He was married to Eileen Marie Wagner on 5-16-1942. They celebrated 69 plus years of marriage. Ivan and Eileen had three sons, Gary, and his wife Barbara, Ivan J. III, and his wife Rand-Mae, Steven, and his wife Kathleen. He has 7 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. Ivan was preceded in death by his father Ivan, Mother Otilla, step-mother Laura, brother Harold J. and nephew David. Ivan graduated from Trinity College in 1942, with a degree in pre-med. He also had his private pilot’s license, so he enlisted in the Army Air Core during WWII. During cadet training he flew BT13’3, graduated to the AT^ which he had to bail out of over Mesquite, Texas. He then served as a gunnery instructor at the AFB in Laredo, Texas. At the end of WWII, he was sent to military hospital in Colorado Springs, to work in the labs and help discharge the wounded service men. After the war the family moved to Oakland, CA, and Ivan was hired by Shell Oil Company. He worked in Emeryville until 1971. He was then transferred to Houston and worked in the research labs until he retired from Shell Oil after 37 years. He was a 70 year Mason, and a member of the Scottish Rite and the Arabia Shrine Temple. He served as Shrine Patrol president in 1989. As an active member of the Shrine, he joined the Patrol and marched in completions and participated in fund raisers for the Shrine Circus which supports the Shrine Crippled Children’s Hospital. Funeral services are to be held at 10am, on March 2, 2012, at John Wesley United Methodist Church in Houston, TX. Burial will be conducted by Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, CA.
What’s your fondest memory of Ivan?
What’s a lesson you learned from Ivan?
Share a story where Ivan's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Ivan you’ll never forget.
How did Ivan make you smile?