W. John Wagner, M.D.

W. John Wagner, M. D., a Montoursville native, died on June 3, 2024. at his home in Raleigh, N.C. Born in Williamsport on November 26, 1944, he was the son of W. Carl Wagner and June Konkle Wagner.

John spent virtually his entire life in the Susquehanna Valley, graduating from Montoursville High School in 1962, Bucknell University in 1966, and Temple University Medical School in 1970. After an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Geisinger Medical Center, he volunteered for the Air Force during the Vietnam war, spending two years as a general medical officer at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Gwinn, Michigan.

John’s early life harked back to the ways and values of a simpler time. He grew up on Wynnwood Farm, a family dairy located on the Loyalsock Creek north of Montoursville. His school days at the two-room A.J. Barbours school and later the Montoursville High School were bracketed by morning and evening stints out in the barn milking a herd of Jersey cows. He was an active Boy Scout, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. The values he learned in the Loyalsock Valley guided him all of his life.

One of his main goals in life was to provide high quality, very personalized medical care to patients in his hometown. This he accomplished at his medical office diagonally opposite his former high school in Montoursville. His adjunct office was his black medical bag, which accompanied him on many house calls.

With his wife Carol, John shared an interest in art, architecture, and landscape design. He studied American architectural history and developed whatever drafting and crafts skills were required for their projects. Together over their 55-year marriage they renovated twelve buildings using salvaged architectural elements such as staircases, columns, cupolas and stained glass windows. Local garden clubs toured their extensively landscaped grounds in the Loyalsock Valley. John was “hands on” for all of their projects.

A physically powerful person, known as “Big John” to his friends, he enjoyed strenuous sports such as tennis, whitewater kayaking, downhill and cross-country skiing. With friends and family he enjoyed taking trips to the challenging slopes of Colorado, Oregon, and Utah.

He actively supported conservation programs in central Pa, the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, the J.V. Brown and W.B. Konkle Libraries, and the extensive programs of the Muncy Historical Society and Museum.

John is survived by his wife, the former Carol Livengood; and their son Dr. Scott Wagner (Dr. Joanne Wagner) as well as granddaughters Emily Wagner and Sarah Wagner; and a brother Dr. Bastian Wagner (Dr. Barbara Wagner).

The family will have a private memorial service, and John’s ashes will be scattered on the farm he loved all of his life.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the W.B. Konkle Memorial Library (384 Broad Street, Montoursville, Pa 17754) or the Hospice Foundation of America (donate @hospicefoundation.org).