William Wagner Obituary

Dr. William W. (Bill) Wagner was born on December 9, 1931, and peacefully departed this life on February 15, 2025 at the age of 93. Born in Garden City, Kansas, he was the youngest of 5 children. He is a graduate of East High School, Utah State University, and the University of Utah where he earned a PhD. in Biology. While attending Utah State University, he met and married the love of his life, Helen Sue Crossgrove, and enjoyed a loving marriage of 71 years. In later years, they enjoyed serving together as temple workers in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple. Following graduation from Utah State, Bill was commissioned in the United States Air Force and flew as a pilot in the U. S. Air Force Reserve where he retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with 35 years of service. He was foremost a scientist and had a distinguished career with the Bureau of Land Management. He finished his career as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geography and Earth Resources at Utah State University.

Bill was happiest when spending time with his family or sharing one of his passions with friends. He pursued life with vigor, with a smile, and could often be found teaching, uplifting, and supporting others. Some of his many interests included backpacking, fishing, hunting, aviation, and scouting. A devoted scouter, he shared his passion for the outdoors and the tenets of the scouting program with many young men and is a recipient of the BSA Silver Beaver Award. He was an avid runner and completed the Deseret News Marathon several times. He particularly enjoyed running the ‘Bear Gutsman’ steeple chase in northern Utah.

The family would like to thank the staff of the Sunrise Assisted Living Center for their loving care of Bill and Mama Sue.

Bill is survived by his wife, Helen Sue Crossgrove Wagner; children, Jennifer Tholen (Sterling); John Wagner (Alisha); Kathy Angus (Mike); and Paula Sanders (Jared). He was preceded in death by his son William W. Wagner, Jr. (Cindy). He is also survived by ten grandchildren and eighteen great grandchildren.

A viewing will be held in his honor Sunday, February 23, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., at the Salt Lake Olympus Stake Center, located at 2675 East 4430 South, in Holladay, Utah. A graveside service will be held on Monday, February 24, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. at Draper City Cemetery, located at 12450 South 900 East, in Draper, Utah. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Leukemia Research Foundation: https://leukemiarf.org