Friends, colleagues remember Commissioner Wagner

WORLAND - Washakie County Commissioner Dale Wagner is being remembered this week as a man wanting to serve his community, someone who was detailed oriented and conscientious.

Wagner, who was in the midst of his first four-year term as one of Washakie County's three commissioners, died Sunday in Billings after a brief battle with cancer.

Commission Chairman Aaron Anderson said, "I just offer my condolences to Dale's family and Angela. It's an unfortunate situation, and I just wish the best for them at this moment in time."

In terms of Wagner as a commissioner, Anderson said, "He's a great guy to work with. He was a detailed oriented person and conscientious. I enjoyed getting to know him and working with him."

Fellow Commissioner Terry Wolf said he did not know Dale prior to the 2014 election when they were both running for two open commissioner seats. "He was a good friend after I got to know him, very cordial and sincere. He made his decisions in the best interest of the county. We're really going to miss him on there. He was really enjoying it and was good to work with."

He added, "We're deeply saddened to lose him. He didn't want us to know really the extent of what was happening." He said Wagner wanted to help as much as he could and was quiet about what was going on in his personal life at the end.

"He was a pleasure to work with," Wolf said, adding that he sends "sincere condolences" to Wagner's family.

Dale Wagner

Dale lived in Worland for the majority of his life, graduating from Worland High School in 1965. He served time in the Wyoming Air National Guard.

He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1972. After graduation he was offered and accepted a research position with the UW AG Research/Bureau of Reclamation offices studying and evaluating the potential to utilize automated irrigation systems for Wyoming agriculture. He eventually moved back to Worland during 1976.

He owned and operated two small businesses: a farm/ag business and vinyl fencing business. He also spent 23 years working for Pepsi (Admiral Beverage) in Worland with the greater portion of those years employed as an inventory control manager. He retired from Pepsi in 2011.

He served on the governing board for Zion Lutheran Church and volunteered as the Event Organizer for the Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ & Bluegrass Festival. He also was a Kansas City BBQ Society certified judge and traveled throughout the region to judge BBQ events during the summer months.

Funeral services are set for 11 a.m., Thursday at Zion Lutheran Church with burial to follow at Riverview Cemetery in Worland under the direction of Veile Mortuary.

BBQ and Bluegrass Festival

Wagner was the organizer in recent years of the Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival.

Tony Abstetar of Thermopolis turned the reins over to Wagner after organizing the event for the first nine years. He said Wagner worked with him in 2013 and then the two ran the event in 2014. Last year Wagner organized the event.

"He was dedicated and wanted to make sure it ran well," Abstetar said. He noted Wagner wanted to and implemented a few new things. He added bouncy toys for the younger children a few years ago.

Last year he added a mystery meat category and a 5k run.

He was also active in the fundraisers for the event, Abstetar said.

Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival Director David M. Clark said, "Dale Wagner played an indispensable role in the Pepsi Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival. The event simply would not be what it has become without Dale's leadership, hard work and dedication."

He added, "While his passing leaves a gaping hole in our committee, his memory will inspire us. Dale provided the example for us to follow so that we can continue to make this annual event available to our community."

Festival committee member Val Busch said she had just barely gotten to know Dale the past two years working with him on the committee.

"He was a driving force. He was a dynamo. I truly appreciated that."

Committee member Terry Cook said, "He was an awesome, awesome person, very detailed oriented. He put his heart and soul for everything he did for the barbecue to make it top notch. He worked lots of extra hours recruiting teams to come here to compete."

Wagner also became a judge, master level, so he would know what would be expected to be part of the Kansas City BBQ Society competitions.

Wagner was a part of the organization when the event won the Rocky Mountain BBQ Association 2015 Organizers Cup Challenge and was named the Event of the Year in 2015 and 2013.

Cook added, "We're really going to miss him. He sure put a lot of effort into this community. Those kind of people are so valuable for the entire community. I'm also going to miss him as a friend."

Filling a vacancy

Wyoming statute outlines the process for filling a county commissioner vacancy, which can take up to 60 days.

The commissioners have 20 days to declare a vacancy to get the process started. Wolf said the commissioners plan to wait until their first meeting in June before declaring the vacancy. He said they want to be respectful of the family and honor Dale's memory by taking some time before immediately declaring the vacancy.

Upon declaration, the commissioners must notify the Washakie County Republican Party, of which Wagner was elected to represent. The Republican Party then has 20 days to submit a list of three qualified candidates to the commissioners. The commissioners in turn have another 20 days to appoint one of the three to fill the vacancy.

The person will serve until the next general election, which in this case would be 2018.