Richard Wagner, 96, passed away at 7:04 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 25, at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center, in Lewiston. He died of complications from a fall.
Richard was born Dec. 12, 1922, in Lewiston, at St. Joseph’s hospital, the son of WT and Margaret Wagner. He was the youngest member of the family, with four brothers, Shelton, Joe, Robert and Tom, and two sisters, Louise and Mildred. He graduated from Clarkston High School and Montana State University, also attending New Mexico State and Washington State universities.
He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps, where he learned to love flying and flew 71 B-25 bomber missions over Italy from 1944-45. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for being able to bring a badly damaged bomber back to Corsica, saving the plane and all of his crew. When he returned from the war, he married Peggy June Sanders of Bozeman, Mont., in 1947, and then moved back to Lewiston, where he worked on his father’s farm. While participating in the family farm, he ran an elevator in Lapwai and was a part owner of a farm in Costa Rica.
Richard was a member of the Shrine Temple, a past potentate and a member of the Cayuse Riders. He was also involved with the Lewiston Roundup and served on the Idaho State Water Board. He also joined with Cliff Hinkley to form Empire Aviation, where he was able to fly many dignitaries around the Northwest and Canada. Over the years, he traveled the U.S., Hawaii, Australia and England, and spent winters in Arizona and California.
Survivors include his children, Lucinda Wagner Aguilar (Alex Aguilar) of Spring, Texas, and Robert Sanders Wagner of Boulder, Colo.
He is being buried at Lewis-Clark Memorial Gardens. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at The Congregational Presbyterian Church in Lewiston. Please send any memorials to the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Service Information
- Date & Time
- Saturday, December 29, 1:00 PM
- Location
-
Congregational Presbyterian Church
709-6th Street
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
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