Francis Lee Wagner

FRANCIS LEE WAGNER

February 24, 1946 - July 2, 2025

Fran Wagner, 79, passed away peacefully at his home in Durham on July 2, 2025. 

For Fran, there were no strangers, and he will be remembered for his kindness and spirited personality, which he shared with everyone he met.

Born in 1946 in Anderson, Indiana, the second child of Raymond and Anna Mae Wagner, he was a devoted son and good-natured brother toward his seven siblings. His entrepreneurial mind-set was apparent early on, starting as a newspaper boy at age ten, and then running a car detailing business before he was old enough to drive.  

After serving in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam and Thailand, where he was an airfreight specialist and earned a distinguished service medal, Fran returned home to Oroville and went into business for himself in auto service. One venture, “Bill Dad’s”, had special meaning. A truck stop and weigh station he built from the ground up, Fran was recognized for his use of innovative computer technology at its gas pumps.

Fran’s business tenacity landed him in the insurance industry in 1978 with Cal Farm. Soon after, he opened Wagner Insurance Agency in Durham, where he went on to establish himself as a foremost agent in the area, a post he upheld for the next 30+ years. Fran was highly regarded within the local agriculture community and was instrumental in the development of Nationwide’s rice dryer program.

Fran was a motorhead, building his first hot rod at seventeen which ignited a passion that would be sustained throughout his life. He was at home on the open road, and while sailboats and airplanes were also muses, motorcycles and riding were another lifelong love, starting with his first street bike acquired in the eighth grade. He revered the brotherhood he shared with fellow riders, and until recently was an active member of the Americans MC Chapter of the Eagle.

He loved 50’s rock n’ roll and danced to it with abandon, and was a pool shark at home among his family. Rebellious at times, and usually operating by his own rules, Fran’s heart was always in the right place. He was a faithful Catholic and was particularly inspired by the Garabandal apparitions in his later years.

A loving and generous father, brother, uncle, and friend, Fran will be missed beyond measure by those he cared for.

He is survived by his son, Christopher Wagner; his daughter, Andrea (Robert) Cunningham; his brother, Michael (Lynne) Wagner; his sisters, MaryAnna (Kenny) Wagner Stahl and Julia Wagner; and sisters-in-law, Lupe Wagner and Pati Zelaya Wagner.

He is proceeded in death by his parents, Raymond and Anna Mae Wagner; and his brothers, William Wagner, Joseph Wagner, David Wagner, and James Zelaya Wagner; his nieces and nephews, Joseph Wagner, John (Dawn) Wagner, Charity (Mike) Buck, Matthew (Mandi) Wagner, Andrew (Marie) Wagner, John (Sharlene) Bostwick, Kelli Bostwick, and Tyler (Jamie) Wagner; and his grandnieces and grandnephews, Zak, Megan, Ashley, Hailee, Savvy, River, Scarlett, Violett, Emerald, Elliott, RJ, Kevahn, Pascal, and Frances.

The family is grateful to caregiver Sonia Parra and close friend Michael Kelly for their selfless support in caring for our beloved Fran these past months.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on July 29, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at St. John the Baptist, 435 Chestnut Street, Chico, followed by interment at Durham Cemetery, and reception after.

In Fran’s own words:

                                                   “And there you have it.”