Blackmer Funeral Home

James Joseph Wagner was born in

He attended St. Peter & Paul Catholic School and moved on to graduate from Grangeville High School in 1972. After high school, Jim moved to Moscow and attended the University of Idaho for 2 years as a Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity member.  He left the U of I and spent some time in Boise, as well as bumming around on any ski hill he could find until he finally settled back in Grangeville. Once back, he went to work at IdaPine Mill.   

He married Diane Sarbacher on April 21, 1979 with whom he had his one and only baby girl, Jill Dyan, born July 1981.  

In the early 80’s, Jim discovered his biggest passion in life, aside from his little girl, rafting.  He spent every waking moment he could on the water and introduced hundreds of people to the wonders of the Salmon River.  His biggest thrill was the look on their faces after their first big rapid, and the excitement at the end of the day for planning their next trip.   

Once dubbed “The Mayor of Grangeville”, Jim never knew a stranger.  He welcomed anyone, from any walk of life to be his friend.  He never judged anyone and would give the shirt off his back if you needed it.  In the early 90’s, he met Jan Peters, who became his best friend.  They spent many weekends camping, floating, and playing endless games of cribbage at the Triangle, where she worked.  Jan introduced him to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and they walked together on a team in Lewiston’s Relay until she passed away from lung and brain cancer in 2004.  After her death, Jim, along with another good friend, Mary Beth Meyers, started the Relay for Life in Grangeville.  He spent the last 5 years dedicated to raising money for cancer research.   

In November of 2007, Jim was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  He spent the first few months of 2008 at Virginia Mason Hospital getting treatment and was diagnosed cancer free in the fall of 2008.  Regrettably, in March 2009, it was discovered that the cancer had returned and along with other health complications, he passed away in his home Saturday, May 2, 2009, one day shy of his 55^th birthday.   

Jim spent the last 15 years working at Empire Lumber Company in Kamiah, where he shared his days with so many wonderful people who cared for him, just as most anyone did that had the privilege to meet him.   

He is survived by his only child, Jill Wagner; his cat, Elmo; his father, John Wagner; sister Margaret Wagner; nephews Jason and Mark Vanderwall, and Samuel Wagner Forster; his “Wild Women Group”; and the many people that he considered his family.   

Jim was preceded in death by his mother, Madelyn Wagner; his sister, Mary Vanderwall; brother-in-law, Terry Vanderwall; his uncle Al (Port) Wagner; and his best friend, Jan Peters.   

While Jim lived what some would consider a meager life of a saw-mill worker, he was rich in the love and friendship of countless numbers of people whose lives he touched in his 54 years on this earth.  He had a heart of gold, which will always be his legacy.  While he may be gone from our lives, his memory will be with us all.  And we know he is rafting the river of his dreams in heaven, with Jan at his side.   

Visitation will be held on Friday, May 8, 2009, from 1:00-4:30 p.m., at the Blackmer Funeral Home in Grangeville. A Rosary will be held on Friday at 5:30 p.m., at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Grangeville, followed by a funeral mass at 6:00. Rite of Christian Burial with a life celebration for Jim will be held Saturday, May 9, at 11:00 a.m., at the Blue Fox Theater in Grangeville, followed by graveside services at the Denver Cemetery, where he will be laid to rest. A dinner will take place at the Sts. Peter & Paul School following the graveside services.  

Donations can be made in Jim’s name to the Clearwater Relay for Life.  

Arrangements are under the direction of the Blackmer Funeral Home in Grangeville.