Stanley "Stan" E. Wagner

Stanley (Stan) Edward Wagner passed away peacefully, Thursday, January 2 at his daughter’s home in Prattville, Alabama. He was preceded in death by his wife Rose Ann (Heyl) of 62 years. Stan is survived by his children Jennifer (Mike) Clark, Veronica Hecker, Deborah (David) Downey, Patricia (Matt) McNeel, and Matthew (the late Gina) Wagner. He was a proud PaPa to his 15 grandchildren - Madison and Ashley Clark; Thomas and Sarah Hecker; Marie, Grace, Eliza, Jael, Lily, and Owen Downey; Kaitlyn, Nathan and Brody McNeel; and William and Joseph Wagner. 

Stan was born on August 8,1938 to the late Mathias (Leo) and Mildred Wagner. He was one of eight children raised in the College Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati.

As a young child, he began his quest to be financially stable and foster his mechanical traits by finding odd jobs fixing bicycles and skates, helping neighbors with various maintenance repairs, and working for a local hardware store where the owner continued to teach him skills. Mr. Schaefer, the neighborhood butcher, became fond of Stan’s drive and hard work after he had done a few painting and cleaning jobs. Mr. Schaefer became an influential person in Stan’s life, as he referred to him as a father figure. 

Stan graduated from Roger Bacon High School in 1956. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1961 and Masters of Science Degree in Physics at the Ohio State University in 1965. Stanley was employed at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, retiring as a Supervisory Principal Electronics Engineer in 1998, after 37 years of service. 

Stan and Rose Ann raised their 5 children in Kettering, Ohio where they were members of St. Charles Borromeo Church. Stan spent many evenings in his basement wood workshop creating the family home Rose Ann and he admired greatly. After retirement they moved to Beavercreek, Ohio for 20 years until they moved to 10 Wilmington Place in Dayton, Ohio when Rose Ann was diagnosed with dementia. After Rose Ann’s death, Stan moved to Alabama joining his daughter Deborah, son-in-law David, 6 grandchildren, chickens, cows and fun family chaos. It truly was a blessing to have him with family in his last year and forever grateful to the Downey family. 

Stan will be remembered for many of his wonderful attributes. He was a quiet family man who devoted his life to his wife and children. Stan was humble about his many accomplishments at WPAFB. He valued hard work and saving his earnings responsibly. Anything broken he could fix and his love of woodworking will not be forgotten. Stan created many furniture pieces and performed many remodeling projects throughout his years that he was very proud of. He used these God given skills volunteering with the Dayton Habitat for Humanity to assist the organization to create affordable housing. Genealogy was his hobby, as family was important to him. He looked forward to gathering his family for annual Holden Beach trips and Polen Farm reunions. A tradition he desired to continue. 

Visitation will be held at Hodapp Funeral Home, 6041 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH on Saturday, January 18, from 9:30 AM until 10:30 AM. A Mass of Christian burial will proceed at 11:00 AM at St. Clement Church, 4536 Vine Street Cincinnati, Ohio. Graveside service to follow at St. Mary Cemetery 701 E. Ross Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Mass will also be live streamed for those unable to attend. 

 In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, or the charity of your choice.