William Erwin Wagner Jr.

• Dad was a natural salesman. As a kid growing up in Dallas, he would break up a candy bar and offer samples to people so they would get hooked and buy the whole bar. His success later with Orkin was attributed to his natural ability as a salesperson.

• Dad was a “Renaissance Man”. Throughout his life he pursued several interests:

o Golf—playing and watching

o Hunting—from Dallas, to the leases in south Texas, and the pastures in Mabank.

o Loved fishing with his family at Galveston, Padre Island, Port Aranses.

o Working on cars and later in the Air Force on the KC-135

o Watching movies especially westerns, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, were some his favorites.

o Geology as a young man.

o History, especially Texas and military history. Loved the Sam Houston bio The Raven and Hemmingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.

o Craftsman—loved working with wood such as making doll houses, clocks, and signs. Also tried his hand at making jewelry.

o Cook—famous with his sons when he’d make breakfast for supper. Expert cook for both fried, grilled, and barbequed chicken. Barbeque skills also included turkey legs, beef, and pork ribs.

o Graduated High School from Bishop Dunne.

o Earned a bachelor’s in Business Administration from Texas Wesleyan.

o Retired from Orkin Pest Control Company as an Inspector and Salesman. Earned many honors of the years as one of the top salesmen in Garland and Tyler.

o Worked with Western Union and represented the company at Arlington Stadium, home of the Rangers in the seventies. He loved this job and told us many stories including Ted Williams, Whitey Herzog, and Billy Martin,

o Created the Chris-Andy Company which specialized in wood crafted, doll houses, specialty clocks, and signs.

o Owner and Manager for several years of the Chicken Shack restaurant in Seven Points, Texas.

o Water-Utility contractor for several municipalities including Payne Springs, Gun Barrel City, Mabank, Seven Points and Kemp.

o Longtime member of the Knights of Columbus of St. Jude Catholic Church.

o Usher and Head Usher for several decades at St. Jude Catholic Church.

o Volunteered and enlisted into the Air Force. Crew chief of the KC-135. Was stationed in Guam, Okinawa, Vietnam, and Thailand.

o Raised a Roman Catholic at Saint Augustine and Saint Edward Catholic Churches in Dallas, Texas. Raised his family at Saint Jude in Gun Barrel City.

o Preceded in death by his dad, William Erwin Wagner Sr.

o Surviving members include

 His wife, Elizabeth Wagner, Mabank TX

 His mother, Dorothy Wagner, Dallas TX

 Siblings:

• Mary Ann Cox, Dallas Tx

• Richard Wagner, Dallas Tx

• Joseph Wagner, Dallas TX

• Patti Wagner, Dallas Tx

 Children and Grandchildren (4 Children) and (7 Grandchildren)

• Son, William Christian Wagner and his wife Shubha Chakravarty, granddaughter Sonya of New Delhi, India.

• Son, Andrew Joseph Wagner and his wife Assonta Wagner, grandsons William and Joseph Wagner of Albuquerque, NM; granddaughter Mara and grandson Noah of Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.

• Daughter, Alicia Marie Spence and her husband Von, grandson Nathan and granddaughter Evelyn of Newport, RI

• Jessica Louise Miller and her husband Jonathan of Hurst TX