Robert Charles Wagoner was born June 19, 1922 at Gardena, Washington to Lyman Charles Wagoner and Edith Gertrude McDonald Wagoner. He passed away on February 25, 2007 at the age of 84. He married Barbara Jeanne Boyle on May 15, 1942. She passed away on August 30, 2006 after 64 years of marriage.

Bob, as he was known by friends, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on September 11, 1942. He flew 5 combat missions and one “milk run” during WWII as part of the 351st Bomber Group, but during his last mission his B-17 was forced to crash land in Jonkopping, Sweden, where he was held an internee for about a year.
Although he told his children and grandchildren few stories of his military service he did speak the early A-bombs and how dangerous they were for flight crews. The planes that flew with them onboard barely could take off because they were so overly-weighted. Many flight crews were lost.

He served in Korea during 1953-54 and told stories of “Bedcheck Charlie” who strafed the camp early each evening.

During the Vietnam War he was based in St. Louis, Missouri as comptroller and helped prepare the base for the expected influx of POWs.

Bob Wagoner received 3 Legion of Merit medals during his time with the USAF. He retired as a Colonel in 1974 to Tacoma, Washington where he remained for the rest of his life. He dabbled in oil painting and stained glass, but his true love was fishing. His frequent boast was that he “was the best fisherman in the Sound”.

He was predeceased by his brother, Stanley Wagoner, and his sister, Arleen Watson.