Death of My Father, Robert J. Wagner

Just wanted to let everyone know that my dad passed away on Monday the 5th of March at 11:50 AM.

The image on the left is October 15th, 2006. The image on the right is my father with his legs crossed while in college.


I am grateful that he is finally out of the tremendous pain that he was in.

He had this nose surgery with a pillar procedure (assists with sleep apnea, supports the tissue in the neck and throat) and had a massive heart attack. They put two stints into his right coronary artery so they had as many stints as they could put in. At that time he had inoperable end stage heart disease. From the weakened heart he suddenly got end stage Alzheimer’s from poor vascular flow to the brain that began killing off the mind. Then he began having uncontrolled bleeding from the nose and had 4 more heart attacks and began having Sundowners syndrome from the Alzheimer’s where he felt really discombobulated and didn’t know where he was.

I knew we were going toward the end when he spent an hour talking to his uncle Charles who died with this same condition.

I watched him as he began reviewing his life. In his altered states he would be in different places talking to different people from hi s life.

We tried twice to take him home as he wanted so much to be in his own space but he had another heart attack the first time and asked us to call 911 so we went back to the hospital even though everything was inoperable. At least they could control the pain.

Then we signed up for hospice and had a terrible experience with him at home, as his pain was completely unmanageable through oral medications. So after eight hours we called 911 again, as he was writhing on the floor in agony.

Finally we got a great inpatient, pain management hospice that was wonderful called Casa de la Luz. Everyone was great and finally he was handling the pain reasonably well and more comfortable.

We explained everything to him when he was being lucid and he said to me as we were walking around the hospital,

Dad “Well, this is a pickle isn’t it!”

I said, “Yep, it sure is!”

Dad “I don’t think I can figure a way out of this one.”

Suzanne “You know I can’t either.”

Dad “Well, I guess that is it, isn’t it!”

Suzanne “Yea, I guess this is it.”

Dad “Did I get everything done?”

Suzanne “Well, yea Dad! What do you think you didn’t get finished?”

Dad “Did I make enough money so that all of you are going to be okay and taken care of?”

Suzanne “Yea, You did a great job! You don’t have to worry about any of us. We are going to be fine.”

Dad “Well, then this is really it. I guess I am done.”

Suzanne “Looks that way doesn’t it.”

Dad “You know I think sometimes I try to be too strong.”

Suzanne, “Yea, I wish you would cut that out!”

Dad laughed.



My father was an amazing person. This is part of what I was working on for his Obituary.

Robert J. Wagner was funny, brilliant, compassionate, and magical to all those that knew him. He has finally found his blue spot in heaven and will be greatly missed.

Bob graduated from St. Louis University for Electrical Engineering and the University of Dallas in International Management.

His professional and personal career set the stage for the technological progress that we have today. He was fluent in German and worked on projects that assisted NATO. His associates called him “One of the most tolerant people in the world. He could get more work done by being quiet than anyone”.

He worked for Bendix Corporation in Mishawaka Michigan in 1956 and worked on the Navy’s Talos long-range anti-aircraft missile.

In 1962 he worked on the Shrike Program with Texas Instruments in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

As a young electronics engineer in the TX Missile and Ordinance Systems Department he helped design the signal receiver for the nations first anti-radar missile. In 1965 he became the sixth member of a “black” project originally called SABIR and the development of the first tactical laser guided bombs used so successfully in the latter stages of the Vietnam War. These laser-guided weapons were the forerunners of the Paveway family of laser-guided munitions that are now part of the standard inventory for both the Navy and the Air Force. He worked on the TOW 2 program and sold the program to most of the NATO countries.

He also worked on the HARM proposal and other “unmentionables” that supported our government and troops. His contributions have played a major role in Vietnam, Desert Storm, and more recently the post 911 conflict.

Over the years this activity has come to receive several national awards, but the one most cherished by Bob was the Patrick E. Haggerty Award, which Texas Instruments bestowed on Bob in 1987. This recognition for technical excellence has only been awarded twice in Texas Instruments 75 year history. The other recipient being Jack Kilby for his work in developing the understanding, which led to integrated circuits. The systems he created are still being used today and this longevity best speaks to the quality and importance of his work. Bob was an engineer by training but a patriot by his deeds and accomplishments.

He is survived by his wife Kay, his daughters Mary Kay Wagner-Middleton and Suzanne Wagner-Traver. His grandchildren: Ryan, Kevin, Steven, and Kaitlin Bailey.

Thanks for listening and caring,

Suzanne Wagner