Mark E. Wagner February 20, 1950 – February 7, 2018
Mark E. Wagner was the second of three sons born to Stuart and Marcia (Hetznecker) Wagner in Bremen, Indiana. He is preceded in death by his father Stuart, his mother Marcia, his sons Jerome Stuart and Jeffrey John, and his father-in-law Jerome Schnurr. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Jean (Schnurr) Wagner; his children Delia (Bruce) Gadziola and their children Emily and Ryan, Andy (Karen) Wagner and their children Katelyn and Makenzie, Tony (Betsey) Wagner and their daughter Fayth, and Jody Wagner; his brothers Jim (Rita) Wagner and Paul (Laura) Wagner, and numerous nieces and nephews.
He attended the Bremen Public Schools, where he excelled in football and tennis and served as Senior Class President. He also played basketball, but gave the impression he was mostly used to foul other players. He attended St. Francis College in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he met the love of his life, Jean. They were married, and Mark completed law school at Indiana University – Indianapolis and was sworn into the state bar in 1975. Mark and Jean returned to Bremen and Mark joined the law firm of Kizer, Neu, Joyce, Hite, & Wyland; he became a partner when the firm changed to Kizer & Neu, and practiced in an office in Bremen. He enjoyed many friendships within the Marshall County bar and in the surrounding counties where he practiced. Mark had many loyal clients who became good friends – he was particularly proud to represent the Community Hospital of Bremen, the Bremen Public Schools, and the Town of Bourbon, Indiana. In 2014, he created the firm Wagner & Wagner with his son, Tony.
Mark served on the Bremen Park Board, WNIT Board of Directors, the Ancilla College Board of Trustees, and Governor Otis Bowen appointed him to the Indiana Protection and Advocacy Commission. He also helped establish and administer the Laura Zeiger scholarship fund. Mark was an active member at St. Dominic’s Catholic Church, where he taught CCD classes for over 30 years, and served as the youth director with Jean for 10 years. He coached his sons in Little League baseball, and enjoyed attending his children’s athletic events. Mark joined his high school tennis coach, Frank DeSantis, as an assistant to coach his son Andy on the Bremen High School tennis team, and then eventually became the head tennis coach for both the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams; Mark coached in the Bremen tennis program for 28 years. Mark rooted for the football teams that his son Andy worked for: the Indianapolis Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, and the Louisville Cardinals.
He was an avid Chicago Cubs fan, and was delighted to see their 2016 World Series Championship. He enjoyed watching any sport and activity that his children and grandchildren participated in, and took every opportunity to coach them. Mark was an avid reader, and particularly enjoyed politics and the history of the Civil War. He often watched cable news while he worked, but intentionally ignored it. He enjoyed regular tennis matches with his friends and former players, and was enshrined in the St. Francis Athletic Hall of Fame. Mark could bake a pretty good blueberry pie, even if no one believed him. He served as a pace-setting guide for the Bremen Holy Walk. Mark and Jean enjoyed traveling the world and to see their children and grandchildren.
Visitation shall take place from 3:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Bremen Public High School, 511 W. Grant Street, Bremen, Indiana, and a Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 10 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Dominic’s Church, 803 W. Bike Street, Bremen, Indiana. Mark was a dutiful son, a loving husband, an attentive father, a loyal friend and a committed son of Bremen. He supported programs that helped members in the Bremen community in the same way that the Bremen community supported his family when he was a child. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Bremen Project HELP, Inc., and the Bremen Bags program.
