November 20, 1941 – July 2, 2023

Richard N. Wagner Sr., 81, of Mt. Leonard, Mo., died Sunday, July 2, 2023, at Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall, Mo.

Private family memorial graveside service will be held in Mt. St. Mary’s Cemetery in Shackelford, Mo. Friends may sign the online register book at www.campbell-lewis.com.

Born Nov. 20, 1941, in Newark, N.J., he was the son of the late Benjamin Wagner and Marion Bump Wagner. He was a 1958 graduate of Nutley High School in Nutley, N.J. On Oct. 27, 1962, he married Elaine C. Gembarski, who preceded him in death on Dec. 14, 2022. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving from 1960 to 1962 and a member of Malta Bend American Legion Post 558. He worked for Johnson and Johnson Company, the Codman Toole & Die Division. He loved spending time with his wife, Elaine, of 60 years and enjoyed going to the casino in Boonville. He moved to Mt. Leonard in 2000, previously living in Nutley and Kearny, N.J. He was of the Episcopalian faith.

Survivors include three children, Diane L. Ortzian of Margaretville, N.Y., Richard N. Wagner Jr. of Nelson, Mo., and Laura L. Woodruff of Orrville, Ohio; five grandchildren, Steven McCabe, Christopher Ritoch, Nicholas Ortzian, George Ortzian Jr. and Christine McCabe; one sister, Marion Farrington of Mahwah, N.J.; and several nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents and wife, Richard was preceded in death a son-in-law, John Woodruff.