Joseph C. Wagner

Joseph Charles Wagner, age 95, died peacefully on June 13, 2021 at his home in North Canton, Ohio. He was born in Canton on May 7th, 1926 to Joseph Patrick Wagner and Lucille Vignos Wagner. Joe was a graduate of Lehman High School and Kent State University, where he was honored as the Duke of Kent. He was a founding brother of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in 1948, which later became Sigma Delta. He served his country during World War II as a proud member of the United States Marine Corps. As the First Marine Division secured Okinawa, Joe incurred knee wounds from an enemy mortar shell for which he later received a Purple Heart. Joe was an advertising executive at Waltz Camera, GAF and Wern Rausch Locke. He was an avid genealogist. No site was out of reach if it had family historical value. This included multiple trips to Civil War battlefields and various family landmarks. As he researched and chronicled volumes of genealogical information, Joe incorporated his artistic talents by drawing intricate family trees. He hand lettered the Platt family tree, which is currently hung in the McKinley Museum. Joe was the consummate family story teller. His tales of six generations of the Platt, Vignos and O'Hara families were legendary as he supplied details and depth previously unknown. In addition to his parents, Joe was preceded in death by his sisters Miriam (Tom) Murray and Virginia (Bill) Heggy and by his wife, Joan O'Hara Wagner, in 1989. He is survived by his children Gail (Dennis) Weisend, Joseph J Wagner (Annette) and Julie Anne O'Neil and 21 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. His Wagner grandchildren include Laura (Robby) McGill, Madolyn (Tony) Worrall, Daniel (Katy) Wagner, Grace Wagner, Faith (David) Holman, and Hope Wagner. Weisend grandchildren include Sunni (Dan) Jacobson, Lainee (Tom) Reville, Tevy Weisend, Chantee (Brian) Sonnenberg, Cheyney Weisend, Shad Weisend, Dennis Kip (Amanda) Weisend, Corey (Stacy) Weisend, Kate Knepper, Suki Bennett, Bethany (Greg) Cain, Casey (Jennifer) Weisend, Joey Weisend, Heather (Mark) Knapic, Nikolas Weisend. Private services will be held at the Lamiell Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Stark County Humane Society (5100 Peach Street NE Louisville, Ohio 44641) where Joe found many of his favorite tuxedo cats.