- Date Of Birth: March 26, 1946
- Date Of Death: July 31, 2015
- State: Massachusetts
BEVERLY – Richard J Wagar, 69, passed away on July 31, 2015 at Beverly Hospital after a long illness. He was the husband of Judith A (Di Fazio) Wagar. They shared 38 years of marriage together.
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, he was the son of Clifford Wagar and Elizabeth Wagar McCreath. He lived in Canada and England until joining the United States Marine Corps in 1968. After an honorable discharge from the military, he lived in Beverly MA for 34 years and was a longtime member of the Beverly Elks Lodge before moving to Haverhill MA in 2008. He was employed at United Stationers in Woburn until he retired in 2010.
He is survived by his wife Judie, daughter Diane (Wagar) Vadala, son-in-law Don Vadala, and son Paul Wagar from a previous marriage, sister Gail Lewis, sister-in-law and brother-in-law Ray and Doreen Charland along with several nieces and nephews and his cherished dog Abby Blue. He was pre-deceased by both parents and sister Linda Johnston.
But Rick was so much more than that collection of “hard facts”. He was a true hero in every sense of the word. He was a literal American war hero, voluntarily serving two tours of combat duty as a Marine in the Vietnam war, from 1968-1974, for which he received a Purple Heart. He received this Purple Heart after a shrapnel injury to his chest; and, while it was his heart that ultimately took him from us, it was his heart that he gave so fully to everyone who knew him.
He was a hero to his family and friends because of his selflessness, his devotion to the happiness of others and his refusal to give in to challenges or setbacks. He was a fighter for the adopted country he loved so much, for the friends and family he devoted his life to. He was a survivor who showed us how to live life with dignity and determination because things were not always easy for him, but he did not complain or surrender. He pushed forward, always helping others, always being the man everyone around him knew they could count on…a pillar of strength.
The weapons of war in Vietnam may have scarred his heart, but they did nothing to diminish his tremendous capacity to love or his determination to be a force of good in this world. Rick was a true blessing to all who were lucky enough to know him. With his passing, the world has surely lost one of its finest, but his legacy of love, strength, honor and integrity will live on forever in the hearts of his loved ones. He will never be forgotten. We will carry him in OUR hearts forever.
