Delmar Walser Wagner passed away December 21, 2015 and had been a resident of Colorado Springs since 1949. He was born on April 10, 1921 in Colonia Guadalupe, Chihuahua, Mexico to Albert C. Wagner and Clara (Walser) Wagner.
He grew up working on his parents’ 64,000 acre ranch. His duties on the ranch included breaking and shoeing horses, herding cattle, driving tractors and trucks, mending fences, etc. He had 1 sister and 4 brothers who all preceded him in death. One of his brothers nicknamed him “Pete” which has stuck with him the rest of his life.
Delmar grew up speaking both Spanish and English. He served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Central Mexico where he was able to use his Spanish. After his mission he was drafted into the Army and served in WWII. He was an Airborne Ranger and his Ranger Unit scaled the cliffs of Point du Hoc during the Normandy invasion. He was stationed in Guam, and in East Berlin during the Airlift by Allied Forces. He then served in the Korean War. After the war he was stationed at Camp Carson, Colorado where he broke mules for the Army. After 13 years of military service he was honorably discharged from the Army with the rank of Master Sergeant. He then worked as a heavy equipment operator and was a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers for 60 years. His fellow workers all called him “Sarge”. In fact, most everyone knew him as “Sarge”.
He met Grace Maureen Freed and they were married October 1, 1949 in Raton, New Mexico. They had 1 daughter, Betty, and were married for 51 years.
He is survived by his daughter, Betty Ann (husband Kent) Vance; 3 grandchildren: Brenda Bonnichsen of Sturgis, South Dakota, Andrea Dixon of Longmont, Colorado and Robert Vance of Loveland, Colorado; and 5 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by 1 grandson, Edward Stanley Padalski, and 1 great-granddaughter, Aubrey Bonnichsen.
A visitation will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 with a funeral service to follow at 1:00 p.m. all at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 150 Pine Avenue. Interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Colorado Springs.