Funeral services set for Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner
MANILA, Ark. (KAIT) - Manila Mayor Wayne Wagner died on the afternoon of Thursday, June 30.
Details are limited, but according to city officials, Wagner died after lunchtime at St. Bernards Medical Center in Jonesboro.
He was serving the final year as mayor in his third four-year term.
Wagner spent decades in public office with time as an Arkansas representative from 1987 to 1998 when term limits prevented him from running again.
Wagner died at the age of 76.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m., Sunday, July 3, at the First United Methodist Church in Manila, according to Howard Funeral Service.
The family of Wagner will have visitors from 5 to 7 p.m., Saturday, July 2, at the Howard Funeral Service Chapel in Manila.
Several leaders throughout Northeast Arkansas are responding to the news.
Blytheville Mayor James Sanders released a statement on the fellow Mississippi County mayor:
Mississippi County has lost a giant in public service today. On behalf of my administration and the City of Blytheville, we express our sincerest condolences to the family of Mayor Wayne Wagner. Mayor Wagner was a man among many. He was a giant in the arena of community revitalization, growth, and innovation. I am personally saddened by this unexpected tragedy and grateful for the many lessons he shared with us along the way. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mayor Wagner’s family, friends, and the citizens of the city of Manila.
State Senator Dave Wallace also released a statement, highlighting Wagner’s dedication to his community:
Today, we lost a champion for Manila and Northeast Arkansas. Wayne Wagner’s devotion shone through in everything that he did and it was always obvious that Wayne always did what he earnestly deeply felt was best for his community. Today, we all lost a friend.
Gosnell Mayor Teresa Walker said they send their deepest condolences to Wagner’s family and the city of Manila.
Flags in Wilson will be lowered to half staff in honor of Wagner during the holiday weekend.
Region 8 News will continue to gather more details as they become available.
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