Richard “Rich” A. Wagner, 67, of Lancaster, Wisconsin, passed away on April 11, 2026, surrounded by family in Madison with the most beautiful sunrise.

A Celebration of Life will be held at The Meeting Room in Lancaster on May 16th, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Road, is assisting the family.

Richard was born in Lancaster on December 5th, 1958, to Harold and Arlene (Knapp) Wagner. He graduated from Lancaster High School, in the class of 1977. During his senior year of high school, he started working in the automotive industry at the Les Mack Chevy garage and continued for 48 years  as a Parts Manager at the Ford garage while having many different employers, Les Mack being the last employer. He loved his job because he got to talk to lots of people in the community and help them. On May 19th, 1990 he married his wife Kristie Richter in Lancaster, they later went on to have their two girls, Annamarie and Elizabeth.

Richard was a loving husband, father, grandparent, friend and pet parent. Rich loved shooting pool and playing cards, with close friends. He was involved in church events, and girl scouts. Some of his favorite activities included camping and going to school and sports events his children and granddaughter were involved in, and taking random drives with his wife to see nature, wildlife and sometimes “take the scenic route”. Anything history, especially the Civil War and Westerns and the Green Bay Packers were his favorite thing to watch. He always had a smile on his face and was one of the kindest people you could ever have met, which is reflected in his wife, children, grandchildren, and the community. He will be deeply missed by everyone he encountered, as he always left a positive impact on people.

He is survived by his wife Kristie Wagner, their girls Annamarie (Aaron) Laufenberg, and Elizabeth (Nicholas) Burns, his 2 grandchildren Ava Laufenberg and Remington Burns. Along with his brother Philip (Judy) Wagner and his sisters Mary Graney and Marguerite (Tim) Hickman, and his sister-in-law Marsha Wagner, along with many cousins, nieces, and nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews. Along with his special traveling cousins Penny, Jake, and Brenda Richter.

He is preceded in death by his mother Arlene and father Harold, and his 2 brothers Larry and Lowell Wagner, brother-in-law Ted Graney and sister-in-law Sandy Wagner, and his cousin Steve Stanfley.

In lieu of plants and flowers donations can be made to the Grant County Humane Society in Rich’s name.

Thank you to Leonard Funeral Home and Crematory for serving the family, and a special thanks to Meriter Hospital in Madison, and Southwest Health in Platteville, for taking such great care of Rich during this difficult time.