Gerald “Steve” Stephen Wagner, Jr., 75, Bellwood, passed away Friday evening at his home.
He was born in Altoona, son of the late Gerald, Sr. and Madeline (Corbin) Wagner.
He is survived by his wife, Sandra, of 39 years; two daughters, Jennifer Fye (Doug) of Altoona and Jessica Reehl (Eric Baith) and grandchildren: Jaymes, Alicia and Lincoln Baith, all in Florida; a sister, Darnyl Vermeire and her sons: Andrew and Stephen; and a brother, Allen Wagner (Debby) and daughters: Emma and Sarah.
Steve’s family called him “a boy genius” heavily interested in electronics and ham radio. He once reached Russia on his ham radio which brought the FBI to their door. Electronics continued to be a hobby into his retirement, including making YouTube videos on his subject. His children called him generous with his time and a great teacher. Everyone loved his sense of humor, his stories, and his playing of pranks.
Steve served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. Upon his return home, he attended Penn State University-Altoona, studying Electrical Engineering.
In 1971, he accepted a position at Gwinn Dobson and Foreman and remained there for 25 years. Being a small company, he had the opportunity to explore various fields in engineering. A former co-worker noted that Steve had a gift for analyzing complex problems and coming up with solutions… “a real trouble shooter”. In 1985, Mark Glenn, P.E., President of the company, placed Steve on the Board of Directors as Secretary-Treasurer, where he served until 1996. He was also named Engineering Manager of the company. At that time, his biggest projects included the design and construction management of Altoona’s five water treatment plants and two wastewater treatment plants. Mark said Steve was an integral part of these projects. He also piloted a new water treatment process. This new process along with state of the art technology were innovative in the field.
Due to his extensive knowledge of the city’s water and wastewater systems, he was approached by the Altoona City Authority and subsequently hired as Assistant Executive Director in 1996. Later he worked for Pennsylvania State University at University Park.
Steve joined the team at Stiffler McGraw and Associates in 2003 as a Senior Project Manager. Over the course of 12 years with the company, he was involved in the design of numerous water and wastewater treatment facilities. Steve took on the role of mentor to a group of young engineers allowing for the development of municipal treatment division at the company. Steve retired in 2015. His willingness to share his knowledge and experience will be greatly missed by his former co-workers and friends.
Concurrent with his professional career, Steve had also operated two businesses: Wagner’s Custom Fabrication (with his father) and Wagner’s Firearms. He continued to run Wagner’s Firearms in a small shop which was frequented by his friends and former associates until his death.
A Celebration of Life with full military honors, will be held on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 4 pm at the VFW in Juniata, 126 N 16th Avenue, Altoona, 16601.
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Starts at 4:00 pm (Eastern time)
Veterans of Foreign Wars
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