June 10, 2022 – Town of Trenton, WI – Paul John Wagner passed away on June 8, 2022, at Ivy Manor surrounded by loved ones after suffering for over 10 years with Parkinson’s Disease with Lewy Body Dementia.
He was born Dec. 26, 1941, to the late Paul and Marcella (nee Schneider) Wagner, and was raised on the homestead farm in the Town of Trenton that has been and continues to be in the Wagner family since 1846.
On September 30, 1967, he was united in marriage to Julaine “Janie” Strauss at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Lake Church. Together they lived in West Bend and eventually built a house on the family farmstead.
Paul managed a dairy farm for Minz Farms, Inc. on the south side of West Bend for about 20 years as well as a small grains certified seed conditioning facility which he expanded into his own business for the remainder of his farming career. A large percentage of the certified wheat and oat seed in Washington County went through his facility for many years. Later, he also worked as an accountant with his good friend, Bob Spaeth, in his tax and accounting business for many years while he continued seed cleaning.
Paul loved the outdoors, enjoyed canoeing and even canoe racing in his younger years, and played a lot of volleyball with friends. Paul and Janie enjoyed bicycling and polka dancing together, especially when the Goodtime Dutchmen were playing.
Paul was quite the handyman and do-it-yourselfer… a trait he had gotten from his father. We always kept piles of junk and scrap lumber around the farm that could be used to fix or fabricate stuff. He was also very talented at woodworking, and family member’s homes are filled with many wonderful wooden treasures, some functional and some just beautifying, that Paul has created over the years.
Paul and Janie have been members of St. Frances Cabrini Parish in West Bend since they were married in 1967.
He is survived by his loving wife of 54 years, Janie; their 3 children Steve (Lori) Wagner of Milton, Ann (James) Taylor of Kewaskum and Katie (Nathan) Wolfe of West Bend; 8 grandchildren Tyler, Courtney (fiancé Paul Cyr) and Ashley Wagner, Jim and Hannah Taylor and Evelyn, Samuel and Julie Wolfe; brother and sisters Mary Ann (Jim) Kletzine of West Bend, Luci (Jerry) Wagner of Hartford and Phil (Jan) Wagner of West Bend; brothers-and-sisters-in-law: Diane (Bob) Wester of Sheboygan Falls, Gladys (Dr. Clif) Peterson of Kenosha, Marie Strauss of Port Washington, Gerald Straus of Lake Church and Tony (Carolynn) Strauss of Belgium; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a granddaughter Lily Wolfe and a brother-in-law Ronald Strauss.
The family will greet relatives and friends during a period of visitation on Tuesday, June 14 at St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church from 5 until 6:45 p.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 7 p.m. Burial will be Wednesday at 10:3 a.m. in St. Mary’s Cemetery (new).
Memorials to St. Frances Cabrini Parish appreciated.
Paul’s family would like to extend a sincere and heartfelt thank you to the staff at Ivy Manor and at Preceptor Hospice for the wonderful care and compassion shown to Paul.
The Schmidt Funeral Home of West Bend is serving the family. Messages for the family may be left in an online guestbook at www.schmidtfuneralhome.com
