Paul Wagner Obituary

 

Paul Wagner may have been a moderate man of moderate words, but his zest for existence and awe of the creation were nothing short of intense. He lived his life without regret like the creatures he loved: the fish of the deep, the birds of the air, the big mammals of the mountainsides, and especially, his loyal canine companions. Paul drank it all in and it was all the better for him when accompanied by his loved ones – son Jeff, grandson Alex, and wife Taminie and his good friends.

Paul was an accomplished machinist, a self-trained engineer and mechanic, a craftsman, and maybe above all, a tremendous artist. His creations were forged from the earth itself: metal, rock and wood configured for both beauty and utility. There can be no doubt that his artwork was a translation of the majesty he saw from the mountaintops, the rapids, the plains, and the forests. He also had an artist’s discerning eye for those that shared his perspectives but translated them in different but equally beautiful and moving ways, and these other works were displayed close to his own, each enhancing the other. This included the work of the ancients, gathered from his uncle’s Iowa farm displayed next to his, a reminder to us of the human appreciation of craftsmanship and artistic continuity that spans the centuries.

Paul’s active mind could find comfort in the simplicity of his everyday tastes and habits, but also in the complexity of machines and the natural world. His thoughts and ideas conformed to no single person or ideology, and you knew within minutes of meeting him that he was a genuine and honest man.

Paul Edwin Wagner entered this world on August 31, 1943, in Knoxville, Iowa, the son of Ivah and Roscoe Wagner. As a youth, Paul loved the outdoors and its pursuits, card playing, cars and working on them, and the Knoxville car races. He attended Knoxville High School, where he was a member of the golf team, and graduated in 1961. He then took coursework at Iowa State University before accepting a job as a machinist at John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny. Following an exemplary career, Paul retired in 1994, and after sorting things out for a couple of years, moved from Iowa to Dubois and then Cody, Wyoming where he pursued his avocations of communing with the animal kingdom and the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. It was here that his skills as a craftsman and artist saw their true expression, and where the height of his humanity was reached. Paul’s last few years were spent in his native Central Iowa where he wore out the pavement walking his beloved dogs.

A wiry and rugged man, the years were no match for his body, which retained its 1965 character to the end. Defeated, the years came for his mind and ultimately won a tenacious battle with him on December 31, 2022. Paul is survived by his wife, partner and fellow traveler these past many decades, Taminie; his son Jeff and wife Angela of Dallas, Texas; grandson Alex Wagner of Driggs, Idaho; sister Maxine Jones of Ankeny; and Taminie’s children Myles Curnes of Des Moines and Katie Ramos of Ventura, California. Paul’s remains will spend eternity among the volcanic rocks and snow-capped Carter Mountains at Fenton Pass, Wyoming.

I thank friends and family who have been so generous with their time and caring through this long and difficult journey. You know who you are. We would like to thank UnityPoint Lutheran Hospital and Taylor House Hospice for their outstanding care of both of us.

A celebration of Paul’s Life will take place at a later date.

Donations to the Alzheimer’s Association of Central Iowa, the Animal Rescue League of Central Iowa, or a charity of your choice.