Obituary of James Martin Wagenbach JAMES MARTIN WAGENBACH Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - September 23, 2003 James Martin Wagenbach, 74, retired chief of Emergency Services for the City of Franklin, died Sept. 20, 2003 at Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital. Jim was born in Barron, Wis. and was the son of the late Martin O. and Nellie McFarlane Wagenbach. He was a member of High Street United Methodist Church, a graduate of Franklin High School and an Air Force veteran. In 1965, Jim became chief for the Emergency Services for the City of Franklin and retired 33 years later in 1998. During his career Chief Wagenbach held many positions and received many awards throughout the state such as president of the State Fire Chief's Association, the Virginia Civil Defense Association, Jaycee Distinguished Service Award in 1964, the First Citizen of Franklin Award in 1977, was inducted into the American Heart Association Hall of Fame in 1995, received the Governors Award in 1998, and in 2001 the City of Franklin created the James M. Wagenbach Career Staff Award of the Franklin Fire and Rescue. Survivors include three brothers, Richard C. Wagenbach of Franklin, Dean F. Wagenbach of Como, N.C., and Garold A. Wagenbach of Warren, R.I.; his former wife and best friend, Joanne Tocci of Norfolk; former secretary and special friend, Shawn R. Boothe; and several nieces and nephews. Jim was predeceased by a nephew, Michael Wagenbach. A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday in Wright Funeral Home with the Rev. Linda Alvis officiating. Burial will follow in Poplar Spring Cemetery . The family will receive friends Wednesday in the funeral home from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and suggest memorials be made to Franklin Fire and Rescue, P.O. Box 158, Franklin, VA 23851. Edition: FINAL Section: LOCAL Page: B9 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– James Martin Wagenbach, 74, retired chief of Emergency Services for the City of Franklin, died Sept. 20, 2003 at Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital. He was born in Barron, Wis., son of the late Martin O. and Nellie McFarlane Wagenbach. A funeral was conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday in Wright Funeral Home with the Rev. Linda Alvis officiating. Burial followed in Poplar Spring Cemetery. The family received friends Wednesday in the funeral home from 7 to 8:30 p.m. ––– Transcript ––– James Martin Wagenbach, 74, retired chief of Emergency Services for the City of Franklin, died Sept. 20, 2003 at Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital. Jim was born in Barron, Wis. and was the son of the late Martin O. and Nellie McFarlane Wagenbach. He was a member of High Street United Methodist Church, a graduate of Franklin High School and an Air Force veteran. In 1965, Jim became chief for the Emergency Services for the City of Franklin and retired 33 years later in 1998. During his career Chief Wagenbach held many positions and received many awards throughout the state such as president of the State Fire Chief's Association, the Virginia Civil Defense Association, Jaycee Distinguished Service Award in 1964, the First Citizen of Franklin Award in 1977, was inducted into the American Heart Association Hall of Fame in 1995, received the Governors Award in 1998, and in 2001 the City of Franklin created the James M. Wagenbach Career Staff Award of the Franklin Fire and Rescue. Survivors include three brothers, Richard C. Wagenbach of Franklin, Dean F. Wagenbach of Como, N.C., and Garold A. Wagenbach of Warren, R.I.; his former wife and best friend, Joanne Tocci of Norfolk; former secretary and special friend, Shawn R. Boothe; and several nieces and nephews. Jim was predeceased by a nephew, Michael Wagenbach. A funeral will be conducted at 2 p.m. Thursday in Wright Funeral Home with the Rev. Linda Alvis officiating. Burial will follow in Poplar Spring Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday in the funeral home from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and suggest memorials be made to Franklin Fire and Rescue, P.O. Box 158, Franklin, VA 23851. ––– Vital Statistics ––– |-------------------------------------------------------| | Field | Value | |-------|-----------------------------------------------| | Name | James Martin Wagenbach | | Age | 74 | | Birth | Barron, Wis. (estimated) | | Death | 20 Sept 2003, Sentara Leigh Memorial Hospital | |-------------------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |--------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |------------------------|----------------------|--------------| | James Martin Wagenbach | Decedent | - | | Joanne Tocci | Former wife | Norfolk, VA | | Richard C. Wagenbach | Brother | Franklin, VA | | Dean F. Wagenbach | Brother | Como, N.C. | | Garold A. Wagenbach | Brother | Warren, R.I. | | Shawn R. Boothe | Special friend | - | | Michael Wagenbach | Nephew (predeceased) | - | |--------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |---------------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|----------------------| | Location | Norfolk, VA | | Name | Virginian-Pilot, The | | Date | 23 Sept 2003 | | Edition | FINAL | | Section | LOCAL | | Page | B9 | |---------------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Retired chief of Emergency Services for the City of Franklin. • Member of High Street United Methodist Church. • Graduate of Franklin High School. • Air Force veteran. • Received numerous awards including the First Citizen of Franklin Award and induction into the American Heart Association Hall of Fame. [See also: www.findagrave.com/memorial/113948397/james-martin-wagenbach www.findagrave.com/cemetery/51709/poplar-spring-cemetery https://sites.rootsweb.com/~vaschs/pscindex.txt ] [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net Formattinng and references by the Southampton Transcription Project] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. Please verify critical information, as AI-generated content can include errors.] [This file is https://go-stp.com/BruceObituaries/ShowText.html?Wagenbach, James Martin.txt]