Milton Wagoner

Milton Earl Wagoner, Hidden Meadows Condominium Association, Town of Lebanon, met with angels and his maker at the heavenly gates of heaven on February 5, 2023.

Milt was born on June 2, 1940, in the Town of Aztalan, Wisconsin, son of Walter and Mary (Smith) Wagoner. He farmed with his step-mother, Leona and his father in the Watertown area for many years.

Milt attended his 8 years of elementary school at Seibel School in the Town of Shields. He graduated from Lake Mills High School in 1958. He worked at Old Elm Mills in Watertown with his father between his Jr. and Sr. years of high school. One month after graduation in 1958 he entered the U.S. Army. He served 8 weeks of basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. He was then transferred to Ft. Gordon, GA where he attended 6 months of radio repair training. After graduation from radio repair school, he was assigned as a radio relay operator throughout the 3rd Army area, based out of Ft. Gordon, GA. With 13 months left in his voluntary 3-year term, he was sent to serve his country as a radio repairman at the U.S. Army Radio Repair Depot in Saumur, France. In 1961, after his military service with an honorable discharge, he worked for Durant Manufacturing Co. in Watertown for 6 months as a mechanical counter repairman before continuing his education at DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago for a 2-year full time period (no vacations), earning an Associate Degree in Applied Electronics. Upon graduating from DeVry Tech, he worked as a field service representative for Kearney and Trecker Corp. of Milwaukee. After living out of a suitcase for 3 years, he decided to take a job closer to his home in Watertown and worked for Hevi-Duty Electric (Lindberg) in Watertown as an electrical inspector and research and development technician for 3 years until he expanded his experience to work for Oven Systems Corp. in New Berlin, WI. An opportunity opened up for a sales position at Safety-Kleen Corp. in Watertown, where he worked for a short time and was laid off because of the "gas crunch" in 1973. He, then, returned to Lindberg as a numerical control programmer and production planner in the Industrial Engineering Department.

Due to the company buy-out in 2000, he was offered an early retirement. He was too young to retire, so he worked for Bryant Products in Ixonia until his birthday in 2002. Two weeks after his final retirement he was asked to be the Waste Water Treatment Plant operator for Lebanon Sanitary District #2 at Hidden Meadows Condominium Assoc. where he and his wife lived. He accepted the job, was schooled and certified by the DR and operated the Waste Water Treatment Plant until his final retirement in 2008.

Milt served with the Watertown Auxiliary Police Department for 10 years starting as a recruit and advanced his rank to lieutenant before resigning.

Milt was united in marriage with Nyla Mae Rosemary (Uselman) Heard on Sept. 15th 1988 by Rev. Ronald Mach at Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA), Watertown. During his younger years at Immanuel, he attended Sunday school and was confirmed in the Lutheran faith in 1954 by the late Rev. Otto Wonn.

Milt enjoyed watching football games (especially the Packers) and the NASCAR races and camping with his wife, Nyla, and Tuffy, their favorite cat. He was President of the Hartford Y-Knots chapter of Wisconsin Campers Association. He was also Membership Secretary of WCA for 16 years.

Survivors include his wife, Nyla Mae and a sister-in-law, Katherine of Watertown. Also surviving are a step-son, Robert (Bonnie) Heard of Burlington; a step-daughter, Donna (Carl) Cooper of Pinetops, NC; 5 grandchildren, Jacob Heard, US Navy of Burlington, WI, Douglas of Stockton, MO and Rachel Cooper of Pinetops, NC, James (Brittany) Othmer of Newton, NC and Elizabeth Othmer in Florida; great-grandchildren, Riley & Bryson Othmer of Newton, NC. Also surviving are brothers-in-law; sisters-in-law and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Preceding Milt in death was his mother, Mary; father, Walter; step-mother, Leona; brothers, Gerald and Kenneth Wagoner; brothers-in-law, William and Roman Uselman Jr., Don Branscombe and Conradd Blew; sisters-in-law, Beverly Uselman, Deloris Uselman and Mary Ann Uselman.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, February 13, 2023, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc, with Rev. Sarah Stumme presiding. Visitation will take place at the church from 9:00 AM until the time of service. Burial will take place at the Aztalan-Milford Cemetery, County Highway Q, North of Aztalan near Interstate 94.

Memorials may be given to the Aztalan-Milford Cemetery Association.