John Wagner

Guenther Johann “John” Wagner, 81, of Carroll passed away peacefully in Carroll, Iowa on July 4, 2017 after a short, courageous battle with cancer.

Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 7 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Carroll with Fr. Kevin Richter as Celebrant. Concelebrant for the Mass will be Fr. Timothy Johnson. Lector will be Clete Windschitl. Music will be by the Holy Spirit Choir with Barb McDermott as organist. Gift bearers will be Casey Sexton, Mark Sexton and Megan Peak. Casket bearers will be John’s grandchildren. Honorary casket bearers will be Louis Havermann, Bill Koester, Duane Kirsch, Mike Pauley, Skip Raridon and Jim Vanderheiden. Burial will be in the Carroll City Cemetery with military honors conducted by the Carroll American Legion. Friends may call after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday at Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll where there will be a Christian Wake Service at 7:00 p.m. The casket will be moved to Holy Spirit Church at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday where visitation will resume until the time of Mass.      

John was born May 4, 1936 to Johann and Franziska (Regiert) Wagner in Munich, Germany. He attended St. Martin school in Munich. John moved to the United States on January 3, 1961 and became a proud U.S. citizen in September of 1967.

John was united in marriage to Sharon Kay Flack on June 22, 1963 at St. Columbkille Catholic Church in Churdan, Iowa. They were blessed with three children: Kathryn “Katie,” John H. and Anthony “Tony.” John and Sharon lived in Fort Dodge, Iowa until September of 1965 where John worked for the Elks Lodge #306. They lived in Churdan until April 2, 1969 where John owned a restaurant and bar. In April of 1969, he and Sharon moved to Carroll and John worked at the Elks Lodge #1637 until November of 1983 when he became food service director at the Carrollton Centre. He worked until Sharon’s illness required him to retire in May of 2017. John served in the Air National Guard from 1961-1967.

He sang with The Flexibles quartet for many years. John sang for countless weddings and funerals in Carroll and Greene County as well as many other areas.  John was a member of Holy Spirit parish and served on the Holy Spirit school board for many years. John was a member of the Elks chorus, the Holy Spirit Choir and the RSVP Singers. Music was John’s passion and he was an accomplished singer. John’s solo of “Ava Maria” was requested by thousands of people over the years. John is now singing with the heavenly angels.

John loved his family. His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren brought him joy. He loved hosting gatherings for family and friends and especially loved cooking large meals for everyone. If people left his home hungry, it was their own fault! John hosted several tour groups to Europe to share his beloved homeland with his family and friends. John enjoyed gardening and was truly patriotic; he sang the National Anthem at many events over the years. It is ironic that he passed away on one of his favorite holidays…Independence Day!

John is survived by his children and their families: Katie (Bryan) Christensen of Council Bluffs, Iowa and their children Rebecca and Adam; John (Lisa) Wagner of Carroll and their children Alexander, Melissa, Madeline and Simon; and Tony (Shawna) Wagner of Carroll and their children Kelsey, Brandi, Brooke and Markus. Three great-grandchildren: Charlee Wagner, Thaddeus Wagner and Astrid Jackson. One sister, Erika (Karl) Schmid of Grunwald, Germany; Erika’s daughter, Silvia (Gerhard) Heim and their daughters, Sophia and Anna; three sisters-in-law and their husbands: Karen (Bob) Gingery of Churdan; Kathy (Raymond) Matthews of Nebraska City, Neb. and Cindy (Craig) Balm of Carroll; his “American sponsor family” Wayne Cooley, Debora Cates (and family), Donna Cooley and Denise Sacker (and family); numerous cousins, nieces, nephews and unbelievable friends.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Sharon of 54 years, on June 17, 2017; his parents, Johann Wagner and Franziska Sedelmeier of Munich, Germany; his parents-in-law, F. Harold and Kathryn (Morgan) Flack of Churdan; his “American sponsor” Don Cooley and his wife Dorothy of Grundy Center, Iowa and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Holy Spirit Catholic Church or St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and may be left at the funeral home or the church.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home and online condolences may be left for John’s family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com.