Paul E. Wagner

Paul Edward Wagner was born in Hammond, IN on August 17th, 1940. He was the second son of Edward and Leonora Wagner. Over the next twenty years, he would gain an additional six brothers and two sisters. He spent his early years on the farm stirring up trouble with his brothers (except for Alan - “The Golden Boy”).

As a teenager, Paul decided his town wasn’t big enough for him, and he ran off to the great big city of Salem, Missouri. Wait, what? Salem’s current population is 4,924. There he wowed all the ladies by becoming a classical music DJ at the local radio station. Although he didn’t know it at the time, one of those ladies would have a huge impact on his life.

In 1962, Paul married Patricia Shirley Gouveia. Theirs was a roller coaster love affair – wild, lots of twists and turns, and relatively short-lived. Instead of a souvenir photo, however, they were blessed with their son, Karl.

After his split with Pat, Paul threw himself into his passion – organizing. For the next forty years, Paul worked as a labor leader for electricians, broadcasters, actors, and cinematographers. In addition to the love and respect of those he represented, he earned many accolades, including “Man of the Year” with AFTRA-SAG.

Somehow in the middle of all this organizing, Paul managed to reconnect with that special lady from the Ozarks, Judy Lee Kirk. They were married in 1967, and had a total of four dogs, four cats, and three children, not counting fosters and strays. Together, Paul and Judith lived in cities from California to Florida and traveled throughout the United States, the Caribbean, and Europe. Although they kept moving, their kids kept finding them, so they eventually broke down and settled near two of them in Tampa, Florida.

Paul passed away on June 21st, 2018. He is survived by five brothers and two sisters, his children Karl (Keith), Dylan, Brendan, and Kate, and his grandchildren Daniel, Isaac, Delilah, Rebecca, Chelsie, Sabrina, and Norrin.