Township Officials And Civic Leaders Mourn Charles Wagner

On Tuesday, April 13, Springfield lost an important member of its community. Former  Lions club president and longtime member of the township's planning board and Environmental Commission Charles Wagner died, leaving his friends, neighbors and colleagues uncertain of how to move forward in his absence.

Township Committee member Hugh Keffer said that as an engineer with an expertise in sustainable energy sources, Wagner's professional expertise was invaluable to Springfield. Keffer, a neighbor and friend of Wagner's, recently worked closely with him on efforts to install solar panels on municipal buildings and exploring the implementation of a waste to energy facility at the quarry.

"I don't want to take the next step without Charlie beside me," Keffer said.

Wagner's absence loomed over the Springfield Lions Club meeting on Wednesday, April 14. Several pictures of Wagner, a past president of the club, were displayed near the entrance of the banquet hall where the meeting took place and the meeting started with a moment of silence for Wagner.

"He was a great guy," Lions Club member Stanley Grossman said. "He served on many committees. He was very involved with the eyeglass and hearing aid collection. He was instrumental in taking care of youngsters in towns who couldn't afford glasses."

Wagner was involved with a number of Lions Club charitable efforts. His fellow Lions shared stories of preparing food for the Union County Association for the Blind meetings.

But as much as a loss of a volunteer and board member is felt, it pales when compared to the loss of a family member and friend.

"Charlie is going to be well remembered for his dry sense of humor," Keffer said. "He absolutely loved his family and was always willing to lend a hand."

Wagner's wake is on Friday at the Growney Funeral Home in Hillside. His family asks that donations be made to the Springfield Lions Foundation. P.O. Box 364, Springfield, N.J.