Michael “Mike” Stephen Wagner died from complications of IPF (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) after spending a small fortune on drugs to fight the disease. Mike passed away on April 30, 2022, at home surrounded by loved ones.
Mike was born in Great Falls, Mont., on April 1, 1948; he blamed his mother for making him an April Fool. His sister Nancy was born Dec. 15, 1941, making them “pre + post war babies”.
His parents Nile Wagner and Maxine Stephens resided in Cut Bank, Mont., where his father and uncle Stan Wagner owned and operated Mr. Wagner Drilling Co. When Mike was five, his father took one of their two rigs to Poplar, Mont,. to do wildcat drilling for oil in the Williston Basin. After one summer in Poplar, the family moved to Wolf Point where they remained until 1965 when Mike, Maxine and his stepfather moved to Flaxville, Mont., where they became the new owners of Mike’s Bar.
Mike went to Montana State University until his draft lottery number was called (lucky #32). He was a medic working as a supply clerk, almost as good as Radar O’Reilly (at least according to Mike). After 20 months of active duty, Mike was told to go home with full benefits or re-enlist for three years. The choice was clear to him, so he left Texas to return to MSU to major in history, with plans of going to law school.
Shortly after returning to college, Mike started dating Judy — by far his best decision ever (his boys agree). They were married June 16, 1973, and graduated the next year; Judy with a BSN in nursing and Mike receiving a degree in American history. Mike worked the system, using all his electives and taking extra classes to pass the CPA exam — pretty much unheard of for someone without an accounting degree!
Mike and Judy then moved to Washington, D.C., where Mike worked for the CIA from April 1974-1976 and Judy worked as a nurse at a private hospital. While Mike never shared the exact details of his work, he said that if he told us, he’d “have to take us out.” We’re pretty sure he did covert tax, but I guess no one will know for sure.
After two years, they decided to return to Montana. There, Mike joined Blue Cross Blue Shield, working in Great Falls and Helena, retiring after 30 years as CFO and VP of Government Services. Mike made a lot of good friends and cherished the shared experiences with his BCBS gang.
Mike served on several boards including TriWest Healthcare Alliance, Northern Plains Alliance and Western States Insurance Agency. Once you got to know him, most would call him fair, intelligent, hardworking and always a blast to hang out with during business trips. He was also honest and known for being a tad blunt and not one to sugarcoat his words.
Mike often helped others navigate the healthcare system to get the treatment they needed. Mike’s career focused on helping those in need, whether it was Medicaid for people with limited
resources, Medicare for older people or children. One of his greatest accomplishments was getting the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHiP) implemented to ensure that all children in Montana have access to health insurance.
Mike and Judy also established an endowment at Montana State University to help students who need financial assistance (four annual scholarships: two for nursing, one for history, one for the library). They were also frequent donors to the library, as they saw it as a resource used by most students but often forgotten by donors who tend to support specific colleges.
Mike was a caring and dedicated parent who helped his children in any way, including attending sporting events and always offering a helping hand. He raised his sons to be competitive, never letting them win in billiards. He adored his grandchildren who raved about his pancakes, baseball, boating and loved to go sledding with Papa in the winter.
One thing that Mike didn’t do was wear hats or sing. Not for anybody. Ever.
Mike enjoyed his retirement traveling to New York, Las Vegas and visiting his children and grandchildren. Mike and Judy spent extended winters relaxing in Maui, watching the beautiful sunsets. If Mike wasn’t snorkeling, he was probably playing blackjack, waterskiing or sharing jokes on his infamous email thread. Mike taught himself to waterski and continued until his late 60s. Mike cherished the extended time with his two adult sons, Judd and Mick, and his grandkids during his last years.
He is survived by his loving wife, Judy; his sons, Judd (Catherine) and Mick (Hannah); his sister, Nancy (Duane); and his grandchildren, Devon, Hunter and Jayse. Mike held a special place in his heart for his extended North Dakota and Montana families, especially his niece Lauri, his nephew Donnie and their families. They will miss his great sense of humor and wonderful guidance.
Mike’s funeral will take place at Helena Cathedral at 12 p.m. on Thursday, May 12. The burial will be at Resurrection Cemetery with military honors, and a memorial reception will be held at Lewis and Clark Brewing at 2:30 p.m.
Mike’s family asks that anyone wishing to send their condolences please make donations to the IPF Foundation so that others will not have to experience the debilitating effects of IPF. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome. com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Mike.
(Paid Obituary)
