Dale Richard Wagner (Wojnarowski)

Dale Richard Wagner (Wojnarowski), age 76, passed away at his home on May 8, 2021 with his beloved wife, Krystyna, by his side. He was born on October 28, 1944 to Louis and Eileen (Ciesielski) Wojnarowski in Toledo, Ohio. Dale attended Cherry Elementary School, grew up playing basketball at Joe E. Brown Park, and enjoyed swimming at Whitehouse and Lucky quarries. After graduating from Macomber High School, he enlisted in the United States Army Reserve, specializing in explosives, and achieved the rank of Sergeant First Class.

Shortly after, Dale married his high school sweetheart, Krystyna (Jasiolek), to whom he remained devoted and happily married for 55 years. While completing his degree in mechanical engineering technology from the University of Toledo, Dale worked at Toledo Edison for over twenty years, first as a lineman, and then in Street Lighting and Underground.

Dale loved to travel with the family, especially to northern Michigan, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the beaches throughout Florida. Dale and Krys enjoyed exploring the Badlands, skiing in Aspen, Steamboat, Vail and Breckenridge resorts. They also enjoyed their time together at Yellowstone, the Vegas casinos, Mission Bay in San Diego, though their favorite was their time in the Hawaiian Islands. Though Dale changed the family name from Wojnarowski to Wagner, his Polish roots ran deep, as did his love for all of its cuisine.

There wasn’t a construction project too big or too small for Dale. He built an addition onto the family home, constructed a triple-level deck, re-roofed a house, erected a hand-crafted basketball backboard onto a street light pole, redid a tiled bathroom floor, repaired irrigation lines, did yard work, and fixed cabinet drawers. He took great pride in his work and made sure he did it right. If there was something he didn’t understand, he would learn how to do it.

Dale encouraged and underscored the importance of education, and took pride in watching his children graduate from universities such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Florida, knowing that he played an instrumental part in their success through his love and support. Later, “Pa-pa” enjoyed playing games with and watching his three grandchildren grow. He passed along one of this most treasured characteristics: his love and devotion for his family. Lastly, near and dear to his heart will forever be his beloved Shih Tzu Chihuahua dog, “Marty.”

Dale is survived by his wife, Krystyna; children, Ann Wagner and Kevin (Bei) Wagner; grandchildren, Alexander, Mason, and Allison; his daughter-in-law’s father, Fei Lin Chen; brother David (Lisa) Warren; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his brothers, Dennis and Robert.

Per Dale’s wishes, his services will be private. He will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Toledo Humane Society.  Arrangements are being handled by the Freck Funeral Chapel.