James Wagner
January 01, 1945 - May 14, 2022
Obituary
James H. Wagner, 77, of Billings, passed away in his home on May 14, 2022.
He was born in Bismarck, North Dakota on January 1, 1945, to Balzer and Mary (Roerich) Wagner, the 9th in a family of 10 children. The family moved to Billings, Montana in 1949.
James served in the U.S. Army from 1962-1965. He served in the infantry as a machine gunner before going to jump school, after which he was assigned to the 101st Airborne division. There he became an Army Ranger and eventually a Pathfinder (Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion 502nd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division), stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
Upon leaving the Army, James found work as a carpenter here in Billings for a few years before moving to the East County of San Diego, CA to join his brothers Al and Mike as a union carpenter working on a series of major interstate highway interchanges and bridge jobs. Eventually, he brought his skills and his family back to Billings, where they lived until the passing of his wife, Karen, in 2018. This was the beginning of the end, as he had no idea how to get along in this world without her taking care of him. After trying for about 9 months on his own, Jim asked his and Karen's only child, Russell, to quit his job and take care of him, which he did for the last two and a half years of Jim's life.
James is survived by his son, Russell of Billings, MT, his brothers Mike (Linda) Wagner of Jackson, CA, Leo of Sutter Creek, CA and a sister, Hermina of Great Falls, MT as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Ed, Gene and Al; sisters Vangie, Alice and Helen as well as his wife Karen (O'Connor.)
If you wish to honor James, please, in lieu of flowers, send a donation to Heaven's Family: www.heavensfamily.org; or Heaven's Family, PO Box 12854, Pittsburgh, PA 15241. Please mark your check: Missions to Africa in the name of Jim Wagner.
He was born in Bismarck, North Dakota on January 1, 1945, to Balzer and Mary (Roerich) Wagner, the 9th in a family of 10 children. The family moved to Billings, Montana in 1949.
James served in the U.S. Army from 1962-1965. He served in the infantry as a machine gunner before going to jump school, after which he was assigned to the 101st Airborne division. There he became an Army Ranger and eventually a Pathfinder (Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion 502nd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division), stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
Upon leaving the Army, James found work as a carpenter here in Billings for a few years before moving to the East County of San Diego, CA to join his brothers Al and Mike as a union carpenter working on a series of major interstate highway interchanges and bridge jobs. Eventually, he brought his skills and his family back to Billings, where they lived until the passing of his wife, Karen, in 2018. This was the beginning of the end, as he had no idea how to get along in this world without her taking care of him. After trying for about 9 months on his own, Jim asked his and Karen's only child, Russell, to quit his job and take care of him, which he did for the last two and a half years of Jim's life.
James is survived by his son, Russell of Billings, MT, his brothers Mike (Linda) Wagner of Jackson, CA, Leo of Sutter Creek, CA and a sister, Hermina of Great Falls, MT as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Ed, Gene and Al; sisters Vangie, Alice and Helen as well as his wife Karen (O'Connor.)
If you wish to honor James, please, in lieu of flowers, send a donation to Heaven's Family: www.heavensfamily.org; or Heaven's Family, PO Box 12854, Pittsburgh, PA 15241. Please mark your check: Missions to Africa in the name of Jim Wagner.
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