Gerald C. Wagoner, son of Floyd R. and Mary Cecil (Denlinger) Wagoner, was born on July 31st, 1932, in Englewood, Ohio. He left to sleep in the Lord he so faithfully loved and served on March 11, 2008 at the age of 75.
On April 18th, 1954, he was married to Ruby Arlene Miller, and together they experienced the joys and sorrows of life. Just three and a half months after their marriage, Dad was diagnosed with polio, and spent the next 5 months in the hospital, eventually returning home with the crutches and braces that became so familiar to those who knew and loved him.
On May 19th, 1955, Dad and Mom accepted Christ as their Savior, and were both baptized into the Old German Baptist Brethren Church in the Stillwater District of Ohio, to which he remained faithful.
Instead of lamenting his handicap, Dad realized early on that there were others worse off than himself, and he dedicated his life to fulfilling Galatians 6:10, which reads: As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. In 1963, he, along with four others founded the Brethren Charity Fund, and through BCF he faithfully and tirelessly ministered to those in need of the necessities of life, and was always quick to write letters of encouragement. He served as chairman of BCF for 40-years.
Dad had a goal to write a letter a day to hurting people and he fulfilled that goal for many years. As a boy I carried hundreds of those letters to the mailbox, only to learn many years later what was in them.
In 1977, Dad, along with 5-other families started the Pathway Brethren School as an alternative to public education. Today the school has 97 students and is thriving.
In September of 2005, due to further complications from polio, Dad was taken to the hospital with breathing problems. For the next two and a half years, he was in and out of hospitals regularly and was mostly bedfast in his own home, receiving excellent care from his loving wife Ruby.
Several times throughout his illness, Dad called for, and received the anointing, through which he was much comforted. As the time of his departure neared, his desire to rest in Jesus occupied much of his thoughts, and he often would ask those visiting to pray to that end.
They say a merry heart is like a medicine, and throughout his life, Dad’s dry sense of humor brought a measure of healing to both himself and those around him. Many who came to cheer him up, were often cheered themselves.
Surviving are his wife Ruby of nearly 54 years, two daughters, Darlene Angle, Vicki Brown and husband Scott, two sons, Gerry and wife Nancy, Eric and wife Monica, fourteen grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, two brothers, Carl and wife Hazel, Glen and wife Judy, and a brother-in-law Carl Bowman.
He was preceded in death by an infant sister Lila Wagoner, his parents, and a sister Mildred Bowman.
We praise God that his suffering is over, and look forward to walking together with him on That Day.
Gerald C. Wagoner Jr.
Previous Topic
Index
