John W. Wagner, Sr.
January 10, 2014
Date of Service: January 13, 2014
Interment Location: Crown Section
John W. Wagner Sr., age 73, of Gray, passed away on Friday, January 10, 2014, at the Johnson City Medical Center. He was a son of the late C.J. and Elsie Webb Wagner and was born in Bluff City. Mr. Wagner was a 1958 graduate of Elizabethton High School. He attended the University of Tennessee and was a graduate of East Tennessee State University. He was a United States Army veteran and was an active member of First United Methodist Church in Elizabethton. Mr. Wagner was the co-owner of Wagner Insurance Agency in Elizabethton and was a member of the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce, the Elizabethton Boys and Girls Club and the Elizabethton City Council. He loved baseball, especially the St. Louis Cardinals, and enjoyed coaching Pee Wee and Little League. He also enjoyed playing golf. He was very fond of his dog, “Abby,” whom he loved very much, and was recognized as Father of the Year in 1984. Survivors include his wife, Carolyn M. Russell Wagner, of the home; one daughter, Julie Workman, Johnson City; one son, John Wagner Jr. and wife, Freda, Butler; one step-son, Greg Russell and wife, Amy, Kingsport; one step-daughter, Cindy Wilson and husband, Dwayne, Birmingham, AL; one brother, Jennings Wagner and wife, Wylma, Elizabethton; three grandchildren, Hailey Williams, Emily Russell and Ryan Russell, all of Kingsport; two nieces, Leslee Wagner, Maryville, TN, and Jennifer Lipford, Elizabethton. The family invites you to join them to celebrate John’s life on Sunday, January 12, 2014, at 7:00 PM in the Chapel of Peace of Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, with Rev. Ray Amos officiating. The family will receive friends in the funeral home chapel from 5:00-7:00 PM prior to the funeral service on Sunday or at the residence at other times. The graveside service and interment will be conducted at 11:00 AM on Monday, January 13, 2014, at Happy Valley Memorial Park. Active pallbearers will be Greg Russell, Ryan Russell, Gayle Hood, Gene Sams, Dillard Sholes III and Glen McQueen. Honorary pallbearers will be Tommy Horton, Dan Cooper, Walt Harber, Warren Riggs, George Trent, Dr. Jeff Farrow and the Elizabethton High School Class of 1958. Everyone will meet at the funeral home at 10:15 AM on Monday. The procession will travel through town on Elk Avenue honoring his 45 years as a downtown merchant en route to the cemetery. Those who prefer memorials in lieu of flowers, may make donations to the Elizabethton/Carter County Animal Shelter, 253 Sycamore Shoals Drive, Elizabethton, TN 37643; or First United Methodist Church, 325 East E Street, Elizabethton, TN 37643; or to a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.tetrickfuneralhome.com and signing the guest book or by fax 423 542-9499. Tetrick Funeral Home, Elizabethton, is serving the Wagner family. Office 423 542-2232, Obituary line 543-4917.