Michael Edward Wagner, Sr. ("Wags") of Bryantown, Maryland, died on February 24, 2016 at his home surrounded by loving family after a courageous battle with cancer.

Mike, the son of Zelda R. Wagner and Robert L. Wagner, was born on Christmas Day 1951 in Cumberland, Maryland. He spent his formative years in Baltimore, Maryland, attending St. Brigid's Catholic School in the Highlandtown neighborhood of the city and later the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. Mike returned to Cumberland where he attended Bishop Walsh High School and graduated in 1969.

Mike went on to attend Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he graduated with a degree in Business in 1973. He was the first member of his family to attend college. At Shepherd, he was a member of the varsity baseball team and founded Shepherd's chapter of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. It was also at Shepherd where he met his loving wife, Susan Miller. Mike and Susan married in 1975 and moved to Southern Maryland.

In 1973, Mike entered the Local 26 IBEW apprenticeship program to learn the electrical trade — an industry he would work in for the next 41 years. Mike worked his way from an apprentice, to a project manager and project executive, all the way up to vice president, at multiple electrical contracting companies in the DC area. Most recently, Mike was Vice President of Operations of Freestate Electrical Construction Company where he retired in 2013. At Freestate, Mike successfully managed multiple complex projects, including the Capitol Visitor's Center at the US Capitol, a project he worked on for nearly 6 years.

Mike loved coaching his sons' baseball and football teams, playing softball and golf, working on his cars and projects at his home, eating crabs, spending time at his vacation home in South Carolina, and watching his beloved West Virginia Mountaineers' sports teams. Mike loved his family and friends, and was a pillar of strength to all those he encountered. He maintained lifelong friendships and left lasting impressions on friends, family, and colleagues alike.

Mike is survived by his wife, Susan M. Wagner of Bryantown, Maryland, his son Michael E. Wagner, Jr. and wife Erin F. Wagner of Arlington, VA, his son Matthew L. Wagner and wife Christine E. Wagner of Arlington, Va., his sisters Thelma Zembower of Bedford, PA and Regina Whiteman of Cumberland, MD, multiple nieces and nephews, and many, many friends. He will be missed.

The family invites friends for visitation on Sunday, February 28, 2016, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Brinsfield Echols Funeral Home (30195 Three Notch Rd, Charlotte Hall, MD 20622). A funeral mass and interment will be held at St. Paul's Church (13500 Baden-Westwood Road, Brandywine, MD 20613) on Monday, February 29, 2016, at 11 a.m., followed by a repast at Baden Volunteer Fire Department. Memorial donations can be made to the American Cancer Society (in support of liver cancer research), 1041 MD-3, Gambrills, MD 21054; Hospice of Charles County, P.O. Box 1703, La Plata, MD 20646, and/or St. Paul's Church. Arrangements provided by Brinsfield Echols Funeral Home.