Willis H Wagner

September 19, 1913 — May 26, 2011

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WILLIS H. WAGNER, 93, of Cedar Falls, died of congestive heart failure on Saturday, May 26, 2007, at the Western Home Communities Elizabeth Martin Health Center in Cedar Falls. He was born September 19, 1913 in Adrian, Missouri, the son of Oscar W. and Fern (Morningstar) Wagner. Willis married Hazel C. Clark on April 2, 1935 in Adrian, Missouri. She preceded him in death on September 13, 1987. Willis attended Bradley University and received his Master's degree from The University of Missouri. He taught in the Liberty, Missouri and Kansas City, Missouri public school systems for a short time and during WW II served as an instructor in the Navy V-12 program at Central Missouri State University and as a draftsman at North American Aviation in Kansas City, Kansas. Willis accepted a position as professor in the Department of Industrial Technology at Iowa State Teachers College (UNI) in 1945 and taught there for twenty-seven years. During this time he was an educational advisor for the U.S. State Department in Vietnam from 1961-63 and published many articles and books, including Modern Carpentry and Modern Woodworking. Willis later was honored with the title of professor emeritus at UNI. He was past president of the Iowa Industrial Technology Association and was an honorary member of the Waterloo Technical Society. Willis was a longtime member of the Cedar Falls Kiwanis Club and enjoyed flying his Piper Archer airplane at the Waterloo airport.
Survivors include his daughter, Janet Parsons, of Cambridgeshire, England; his son, Bill (Inga) Wagner, of West Des Moines, Iowa; six grandchildren, Somer, Arun and Bryce Parsons, and Cheyne (Eduart) Peraj, all of England, the United Kingdom, Brooke (Rick) Carr of Denver, Colorado and Matt Wagner of Dallas, Texas; three great grandchildren, and his close friend, Elnora Moon.

Willis was preceded in death by his parents and wife, and a sister, Geraldine Cherye.

Funeral service will be 10:30 am Wednesday, May 30, 2007, at the United Church of Christ, with interment at Fairview Cemetery, both in Cedar Falls. Visitation will be 4—6:00 pm Tuesday at Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home. Memorials may be directed to the "Willis and Hazel Wagner Scholarship Endowment Fund" through the UNI Foundation, Cedar Falls, Iowa.

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Willis H Wagner

September 19, 1913 — May 26, 2011

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