OREGON – William B. Wagner, age 84, died Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 in Dixon. He was born Dec. 2, 1936 in Dixon, the son of Charles and Irma (Cronk) Wagner.
Bill attended Mt. Morris High School and shortly afterwards enlisted and served in the United State Army. In 1957 he was a member of the 505th Infantry, the 11th Airborne Division as a paratrooper serving a tour of duty in Germany. Bill worked at A&P supermarket and Kable Printing Company in Mt. Morris for many years, he then went to work for Delmonte Foods Corp. as a forklift driver in Rochelle until his retirement in 1998. In his younger years Bill was a member of the Leaf River Horseshoe Riding Club. He enjoyed trail riding in southern, Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. He enjoyed many years as a member of the Mt. Morris Boat Club where he and his family enjoyed water skiing and camping. He was also a lifetime member of the Mt. Morris Moose Club. He was an avid bowler with the Kable Printing teams, enjoyed going fishing, and was an avid Chicago Bears fan. Bill married Sharon Ackerson on March 29, 1969 at the Ashton United Methodist Church in Ashton. Bill and Sharon enjoyed square dancing and traveling throughout the U.S. in their RV club, they spent many years as snowbirds with friend in Weslaco and Alamo, Texas. Bill was a member of the Oregon United Methodist Church and later in life the Lighthouse United Methodist Church of Oregon.
He was predeceased by his parents, wife Sharon, daughter Janet Heier, grandson Joshua Wagner, and brothers Charles, Jr., Richard, and Jerry.
Bill is survived by his children; Robert (Peggy) Wagner of Baileyville, Joyce (Dana) LaPier of Belvidere, Jeffrey (Liz) Wagner of German Valley, Dawn Valdes Wagner of Sharon, Wis., and Chad Wagner of Oregon, 14 grandchildren; Ryan, Heather, Rebekah, Ben, Ashlea, Kyle, Kyle H., Brooke, Isa, Emily, Juan, Faith, Jovani, and Carlos, and 13 great grandchildren, sisters; Dorothy Capes of Mt. Morris, Patricia Carpenter of Belvidere, Peggy Janssen of Oregon, Shirley Palmer of Leaf River, and Beverly Snyder of Louisville, Ky., and many nieces and nephews.
A private funeral service will be held at the Farrell-Holland-Gale Funeral Home, 110 South 7th Street in Oregon, with the Pastor Don Jamerson of the First Free Methodist Church in Freeport officiating. Private burial will be held at the Ashton Cemetery. A celebration of life service will also take place in the summer. n lieu of flowers a memorial fund is established for the Mt. Morris Moose Club. Visit www.farrellhollandgale.com to leave a condolence or memory of Bill.