Michael Theodore Wagner

Born June 9, 1973 to Sandra Disinger and soon after, adopted by Theodore "Ted" Hartley Wagner as his own.

If you knew him, you probably knew his sense of humor first.

To know Mikey was to know laughter, quick wit, and sarcasm delivered with perfect timing. He could make friends anywhere. A stranger was simply a friend whose name he hadn't learned yet. Mike could strike up a conversation with anyone and leave them smiling.

Driving wasn't just what Mike did for a living; it was what he loved. As an owner-operator truck driver, he spent years crisscrossing America with the open road in front of him. The miles never bothered him nearly as much as being away from his boys. No matter where the truck was parked, home was where his boys were. Because of that, the boys took turns on the truck with Dad.

Those who knew him best knew that behind the jokes was a man with a deeply compassionate heart. He helped people because he loved to. He could plow through a dozen shenanigans, and showcase the art of sarcasm all before breakfast. But he was also the kind of man who would stop to help a stranger on the side of the road without a second thought, or stop his rig on a busy highway to rescue a kitten tossed from a car into traffic.

Mike, wasn't particularly interested in being told what he couldn't do. Time and again, he met challenges with grit, determination, and the same sense of humor that carried him through every chapter of his life.

Mike is survived by his wife of 31 years, Heather Saabedra-Wagner; his sons, Kenneth Hartley Wagner and Draven Michael Wagner; his sisters, Kim Head and Melissa Eller (Michael Eller); his mother-in-law, Lynda Grayless; his sister-in-law, Michele Rowe (Joe Trinidad); and countless extended family and friends collected over a lifetime of conversations, road miles, and laughter.

Mike's legacy is not found in trophies, titles, or accomplishments.

It lives in the laughter and smiles he left behind. In the strangers he helped, the animals he loved, in the stories people will be telling years from now...And in every moment when someone finds themselves laughing at exactly the wrong time and thinking, "Mikey would have loved that."

The world is a little heavier and a lot less fun without him in it.

We love you, Mikey, and we always will.