Wagner, Frank L. 

79 09/09/1930 09/05/2010 Frank died at home, in his sleep, of 
natural causes on Sunday, Sept. 5, 2010, four days short of his 
80th birthday. Frank was born Sept. 9, 1930, in Salt Lake City to 
Nicholas and Kathlyn (Bronson) Wagner. He and his siblings 
spent their early childhood growing up in Montana prior to 
moving to Portland with their widowed mother. Here, he 
attended Failing Grade School and graduated from Benson 
Polytechnic High School in 1949. After high school, he enlisted 
in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed in Alaska where he was 
an aircraft mechanic. After the service, Frank returned to 
Portland and attended college under the GI Bill. In 1955 he 
married Sally "May" Koeneke and they continued to live in 
Portland, raising their daughter, Theresa. He worked for 
Progress Electronics, Iron Fireman Co., and Electronic 
Specialties. May was a homemaker. In 1968 Frank and May 
realized their dream of country living and moved to Oregon City. 
Electronic Specialties merged with Boeing Corp. of Portland and 
Frank made the transition to the new company, building control 
stands for commercial aircraft. He retired from Boeing in 1992. 
Afterwards, he and May traveled in their RV, visiting friends and 
relatives in Utah and Montana. They also made two trips to 
Germany. Frank was a dedicated volunteer, delivering Meals On 
Wheels three to four times per week and participating in various 
other service projects. Though he had many hobbies, he liked 
playing poker the most. In 2008 he won a $2,000 seat at the 
World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. While he didn't place, he had 
a great week meeting people and attending various related 
events. His other activities included genealogy research, playing 
bingo at the Elks, and decorating his property with silly 
ornaments and Christmas lights. His friends, family, and these 
activities became especially important to him after May died in 
August 2000, three months short of their 45th wedding 
anniversary. Frank is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, 
Theresa and Dennis Dahmer; grandsons, Douglas Fasching and 
Daniel Ellzey; brother-in-law, Pierre (Eveylen) Koeneke; sister-
in-law, Lilly Wagner; and numerous nieces, nephews, and 
cousins. He was predeceased by his brother and sister-in-law, 
George and Leona (Parent) Wagner; brother, John; and sister and 
brother-in-law, Marjie and David Shetler. A funeral will be held 
at 2 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, 2010, in Willamette National 
Cemetery followed by a gathering at the family home in Oregon 
City. Arrangements by Wilhelm's Portland Memorial.

Published in The Oregonian on September 12, 2010