Wayne F. Wagner

MENDON — Major General Wayne F. Wagner, U.S. Army, Ret., 81, passed away, surrounded by his family, on Fri. April 14, 2017, in Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston. He was the loving husband of Ellen (Downey) Wagner for 59 years.

General Wagner was appointed Adjutant General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1987. In this role, he served as head of the Military Division of the executive branch of the Commonwealth and advised the Commander-in-Chief in all areas of the militia. As a federally recognized two-star general, he was in charge of both the Massachusetts Air and Army National Guards. Prior to his appointment, he served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard as Director of several departments. He began his U.S. Army career in 1958, when he was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers as a second lieutenant. He served in Panama and Texas as well as two tours in Vietnam where he received a Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster and other meritorious medals.

A lifelong resident of Mendon, he was born in 1935 to the late Carl F. and Fern ( Fessenden) Wagner. He was a graduate of Mendon High School and Northeastern University, earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

civically minded, he was Chairman of the Historical Commission of Mendon. Additionally, he was a member of the Mendon 350th Anniversary Committee, the Mendon Historical Society, the Community Preservation Committee, the Millville Chestnut Hill Committee, and the Montgomery Lodge A.F. & A.M. Lodge of Masons in Milford.

Wayne had many interests, including cooking, gardening, travelling, golf, the Red Sox, and the Patriots. Most of all he adored being with his family and friends. He loved being a grandfather, affectionately known by the grandchildren as “General.”

In addition to his wife Ellen, he is survived by his six children and their families: Sally and her husband Steve Riendeau of Mendon; Wayne David and his wife Claudia Wagner of Cumberland; Steven and his wife Patti Wagner of Weston, Mass.; Susan and her husband Thomas Johnson of Mendon; Dr. Timothy and his wife Janice Wagner of Pearland, Texas; and Christopher Wagner of Boston. His 13 grandchildren are Meaghan, Courtney, Wayne Benjamin, Andrew, Max, Mark, Kristina, Brian, Joseph, Ellen, Daniel, Abram, and Avery. He also leaves a brother- in- law, Robert R. Rhodes of Mendon, and four cherished nephews and their families. He was pre-deceased by his sister, Lorna Rhodes.

Visiting hours will be Tuesday, April 18, 2017, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. in the BUMA – SARGEANT FUNERAL HOME, 42 Congress St., Milford.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at 9 a.m. from the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 AM in St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish, 151 Mendon St., Upton.

Interment, with Full Military Honors, will follow in St. Paul’s Cemetery, Gaskill Street, Blackstone.

Memorial donations may be made to The Fisher House Foundation, 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420 Rockville MD 20850. www.bumafuneralhome.com