Fredrick “Fritz” Walter Wagner, 79, of Seattle, Washington, passed away on October 7, 2021, at Swedish Hospital in Seattle from an aggressive cancer. He was born on October 25, 1941, in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Katherine Ada (Staffan) Wagner of Chelsea and Fredrick John Wagner of Dexter. Fritz grew up in the Village of Chelsea with his sister Stephanie “Sis” (Wagner) Kanten, brother John Phillip Wagner, and lifelong friend Pat Merkel. In 1959, Fritz and Pat were the first class to graduate from the “new” Chelsea High School on Washington Street. He played football and ran track and field. Connection was a theme throughout Fritz’s life. He made friends with everyone and actively maintained those connections.
Fritz earned a degree in education and a teaching certificate in 1963 from Michigan State University. After college, Fritz and his friend Pat Merkel had an adventure of a lifetime. They rode motorcycles through Europe and across the length of Africa over the course of a year. Fritz met his future wife, Margaret Ann (Ferris) Wagner, in Cape Town at the end of the Africa motorcycle trip. Fritz returned to Michigan in 1965, unmarried, and began teaching and coaching at North Muskegon High School. Margaret visited Chelsea in 1966, and later they were married in Cape Town, South Africa in 1968. The newlyweds returned to the United States and settled in North Muskegon. On a separate trip in 1967, Fritz traveled throughout Europe with William “Bill” Coltre of Chelsea in a 1967 Volkswagen Bug that is still owned by his family.
In 1969, Fritz and Margaret moved to Seattle where Fritz attended the University of Washington and earned a master’s and PhD in Urban and Regional Planning. In 1974, they moved to New Orleans when Fritz accepted a position as professor at the University of New Orleans (UNO). Shortly thereafter, he became the founding Dean of the College of Urban and Public Affairs at UNO. He served for eight years on the New Orleans City Planning Commission, with two as its chairman. He was also instrumental in the creation of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Reserve in southern Louisiana. Margaret and Fritz started their family in New Orleans and had two children, Melanie Katherine Wagner and Ryan Fredrick Wagner. In 2000, and after 26 years in New Orleans, Fritz and Margaret moved back to Seattle where he continued mentoring, teaching, and serving as the interim Dean and Chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Washington.
Fritz never lost his passion for travel and education. He and Margaret lived in Alexandria, Egypt for six months where Fritz worked as a Fulbright scholar for the World Health Organization. He also created a study abroad program that brought students to Mexico and Canada. Fritz and his family regularly returned to Chelsea to see family and friends.
Fritz, above all else, was a caring and devoted friend, father, and husband. He was the dad who coached his children’s soccer team. He was the dad that taught his children the value of independence, the value of being able to fix things, the value of a dollar, and most importantly, the value of the relationships with others. In addition to his wife, Margaret, children, Melanie and Ryan, and their spouses, he is survived by four grandchildren. At Fritz’s request, no funeral or memorial was held. Instead, the family is planning a celebration this summer at Crooked Lake in Chelsea.
