John L. Wagner, 99 Bismarck, passed away and entered into the presence of his Lord, Jesus Christ, on June 18, 2026. Burial will be held 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 24 at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan.

John was born on September 16, 1926 to J.P. and Iona (Lewis) Wagner in Bismarck. He was raised and educated in Bismarck, graduating from St. Mary’s High School. He was a Boy Scout achieving the Eagle Scout rank and later became a Boy Scout leader.

On June 13, 1944 John joined the U.S. Navy and was stationed in California during WWII. He served as an aviation radio man aboard a torpedo bomber before his honorable discharge.

In 1953 while chaperoning a high school dance, John met DeLila Schatz. The two married on June 30, 1956 and built a life dedicated to serving others and raising a family. They welcomed four children into their lives and enjoyed spending much time with them. Many family memories were created at their lake cabin on Blue Lake. John kept busy tending to projects at the lake and would often extend a helping hand on projects his neighbors were working on.

He spent most of his career at Wagner Insurance. In his free time, he spent many hours sailing on the lake, playing card games and reading.

John felt a deep sense of patriotism for his country and found many ways to continue serving others. Throughout many decades, John was a member of the American Legion Lloyd Spetz Post 1 Governaires Drum and Bugle Corps. They competed all around the nation and were very successful. As a bugler, John attended many military funeral honors for veterans around the state playing “TAPS”, the final farewell to those who served our country. In October 2016 John and DeLila made headlines as they were the only husband and wife on the ND Honor Flight who were both veterans. The Honor Flight was one of life’s highlights for both John and DeLila and to experience it together was wonderful. On December 10, 2024 John was nominated for and received a Quilt of Valor.

John is survived by his wife of 69 years, DeLila; daughters, Laurie (Terry) and Lynne (John); grandson, Jameson and his family; grandson, Ryan and his daughter, Grace.

He was preceded in death by his sons, William “Bill” Wagner and John “Jack” Wagner; his siblings and his parents.