By Philip Phi
Posted Aug 30, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Elvin Richard Wagner, a dedicated family man and community servant, passed away at Linden Village in Lebanon on October 28, 2025. Born on May 14, 1934, in Lebanon County, Elvin was the son of the late Paul E. Wagner and Mary C. Wagner Kuntz. He was preceded in death by his siblings George B. Wagner, who passed away as an infant, and Wilmer E. Wagner.
Elvin graduated from Hershey High School in 1953 and married Barbara M. Bucher on December 9, 1956. Their marriage, lasting 68 years until Barbara’s passing on December 30, 2024, was marked by deep devotion and shared family values. Elvin cherished time with his family and enjoyed traveling, embodying the spirit of neighbor-love as highlighted in Matthew 25:35.
A pillar in both his professional and community life, Elvin worked in construction and owned his own business from 1978 until retirement. His leadership extended to his role as a past president of the Lebanon County Builders Association and his service on the Coleman Memorial Park Board. Elvin’s commitment to service was further demonstrated through his involvement with Habitat for Humanity and various church disaster relief projects, including efforts in Haiti.
Elvin’s legacy is carried on by his children David Wagner, Nancy Strickler (Eugene), and Michael Wagner (Betsy), his brother Nathan S. Wagner, five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, four step-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. His dedication to service and community is a testament to the biblical call for mercy and justice, as seen in Galatians 6:10.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, November 3, 2025, at Palmyra Church of the Brethren, 45 North Chestnut Street, Palmyra. This will be followed by a luncheon and visitation. Private interment will take place at Grand View Memorial Park in Annville. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Brethren Disaster Ministries or Hospice for All Seasons, reflecting Elvin’s lifelong commitment to helping others and living out the principles of care and compassion.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
