Roy Lee Wagoner

Roy Lee Wagoner, 81, of Jacksonville, FL, passed away on July 19, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. Roy was born in Rochester, PA on November 12, 1942, to Clarence and Helen Wagoner, the fourth of six children. His family moved to Orlando, FL in 1948, where he grew up running a paper route and working with his dad on projects around the house. After graduating high school, Roy served in the U.S. Air Force as an aircraft mechanic, working on B-52 bombers. Following four years of active duty service, Roy found employment at the Orlando Sentinel where he met a transplanted North Carolina girl, Sonja Carol Vernelson, who changed the course of his life.

Roy and Sonja were married on December 25, 1965. Once they were married, Roy worked at the Kennedy Space Center, with the NASA purchasing agents as a contract administrator during several of the Apollo missions.

In 1971, Roy began his career with Independent Life Insurance in Tallahassee, FL. Roy moved around in his career, working in both Monticello and Quincy, FL, and eventually advancing to the position of Assistant Vice President, in the home office in Jacksonville, FL. When the company merged with American General Life Insurance in 1999, Roy relocated to Cleveland, TN for a brief period before completing his career in Nashville, TN. Roy retired from life insurance in 2008, after 37 years.

In July 2009, Roy was diagnosed with a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a stage four brain tumor. Following six surgeries and many months of treatment, Roy continued to amaze his medical team, family, friends and caregivers with his positive attitude and outlook on life. For several years, he was a regular participant in monthly meetings with the Brain Tumor Network, a local brain tumor support group. Roy was in the care of Community Hospice & Palliative Care for the last five years of his life.

Roy was a devoted family man, with a calm disposition and a gentle spirit. He loved the Lord, spending time with people, playing cards, working around the house, and watching Florida State football. Roy was a great mentor to many people during the span of his life and made a lasting impression on everyone he came into contact with, even after his diagnosis.

Roy is survived by his wife of 58 years, Sonja Carol Wagoner; two children, Lorena (Lori) Carol Stagner (Neil Stagner, Jr) and Jeffrey Lee Wagoner (Kelly Wagoner), both of Jacksonville, FL; brothers Dale Wagoner (Gayle) of Edgewood, TX and Carl Wagoner (Lynn) of White Springs, FL; and sisters Dot Fields and Sylvia (Bill) Pilkington of Rowlett, TX. Roy is also survived by five grandchildren, Neil Stagner, III (Julie), Alana Read (Scott), David Wagoner, Sarah Wagoner, and Meghan Wagoner. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and his sister Gladys Caldwell.

A memorial service will be held on August 3, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. at Celebration Church, 9555 RG Skinner Parkway, Jacksonville, Florida 32256. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Brain Tumor Network at https://www.braintumornetwork.org/donate/ or to Community Hospice & Palliative Care at https://thefoundationcares.org/give/.