Andrew Wagner

Andy Wagner passed away on Saturday, April 18, 2020 at Missouri Slope Lutheran Care Center. A graveside service was held on Tuesday, April 21, at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, where he was interred next to his wife. Due to the current social distancing policies, it was a small, private service.

On March 20, 1943 Balzer and Josephine (Lipp) Wagner welcomed their tenth child into the world. Andrew Thomas Wagner was born and raised in Linton, ND. He was close to his parents, especially his mother, and he always had a special place in his heart for his younger sister, Berna. 

Andy attended St. Anthony Parochial School, where his progressive attitude and protective nature tended to clash with the staff. He was a brave child who wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion when he didn’t agree with what he was taught; one particular time he stated that he didn’t believe that good people wouldn’t go to heaven, just because they were not Catholic. That did not sit well with his teachers. He also did not hesitate to stand up for others that he felt were being unjustly punished, especially his little sister, which tended to get him in more trouble.

At Linton High School, Andy excelled at sports. While in his senior year, he was drafted into the army, and served during the Cuban Crisis. He was a great storyteller, and he accumulated many stories during his “hell-raising” teens and 20’s, including his time in the army. He always had a twinkle in his eye when sharing his trips down memory lane; those trips were also accompanied by an infectious grin and lots of laughter. 

After returning home from the army, Andy began working with his brother, Jack, perfecting the arts of carpentry and woodworking, eventually starting his own construction company. Building houses, apartment buildings and banks paid the bills, but his passion was converting a piece of wood into something beautiful. He took pride in every groove, corner and special detail that he put into a china cabinet, storage bench or cabinet door. To finish a piece, he painstakingly mixed shades of stain to create the perfect color for his works of art.

Andy caught the eye of Vicki Schiermeister, and he found that her spunky attitude and pool skills were hard to resist. They were married in May of 1978. He also adopted Vicki’s 5 year-old daughter, Bobbi Linn. Again, this showed that he was brave and progressive and did what he felt was right. I asked him, once, if he thought his mother would have approved of the marriage. He immediately responded “No.” Andy revered his staunch Catholic mother, but still married a Lutheran single mom and accepted her child as his own, knowing that his beloved mother would not have approved of these choices.

Andy began working for Industrial Builders and was the foreman for several significant projects, including dams, bridges, and The FargoDome. Three of his bridges were featured in a hardcover book “Bridges of North Dakota,” which focused on the states most impressive bridges. Andy was most proud of The Rainbow Arch Bridge in Valley City, built in 2004. This bridge is a replica of the original bridge, a national landmark built in 1925, but updated to withstand modern traffic. A documentary (which can be found on YouTube) was made about this project, the documentary states that they could not have built the bridge without “the extremely skilled carpenter” who built the forms for the bridge. That carpenter was Andy!

After he retired, Andy’s former superintendent called and said that his skills were desperately needed. They were building the new Four Bears Bridge, and The Three Affiliated Tribe was promised that certain aspects of the old bridge would be replicated on the new bridge. Once again, no one could figure out how to build the necessary forms. Andy agreed to assist and was able to build the forms and create the replicas that had been promised.

Andy was a quiet man with a great sense of humor. He wasn’t comfortable in large groups, mainly due to being hard of hearing, but was very sociable in small groups or one-on-one. He was a kind, honest, hard-working man. Andy also had a tremendous amount of drive and determination, which was blatantly obvious after he lost his right leg. He didn’t get angry or depressed, instead he entered this new phase of life with an amazingly positive attitude that left people in awe. Due to that determination and optimism, he was walking with his prosthetic after just a few short months. 

Andy loved boating, scenic drives, attending concerts; watching sports, especially Vikings football; and spending time with his dogger, Phoenix.

Andy is survived by his daughter, Bobbi Linn Wagner; sisters-in-law, Vangie Wagner, Candace (Dave) Anderson, Twyla Schiermeister and Ida (Luke) Thornton; brother-in-law, Scott Schiermeister (Petrina Eastman); stepbrother, Jerry Mastel; several nieces, nephews and friends; and “daughter by choice” Robyn Backman, who always made him smile.

Andrew was preceded in death by his wife, Vicki; his parents; brothers Jack, Pete, Eugene, Pius, Edward, Bill and Reuben; sisters Luella Mehlhoff, Bernadette (Berna/Bernie) Wagner and infant Mary Ann.