• A Celebration of life for Carroll "Cal" Wagner, 89, of Groton, will be 10:30 a.m., Friday, February 15th at St. John's Lutheran Church, Groton.  Rev. Craig Grams will officiate.  Burial will follow in Union Cemetery.
• Visitation will be held at the church on Thursday from 5-7 p.m. with a prayer service at 7 p.m.
• Cal died February 9, 2013 at Golden Living Center, Groton.
• On April 27, 1923, Carroll Michael Wagner was born by the hands of his father, in a farmhouse near Putney.  He was the 7^th child of 9 children born to William and Laura (Schmidt) Wagner.  Baptized in

the home of his grandfather, Fred Schmidt near Ferney, he continued his faith journey on his own, getting confirmed in 1937 at St John's Lutheran Church in Groton.
• Cal was raised on various farms north of Andover, South Dakota.  At the age of 14, he left home, after modifying a horse-drawn trailer to have rubber tires, to pick corn by hand with others for hire.
• He then worked various farms in SD and MN, eventually moving to Chicago to construct home foundations. His travel methods included hitchhiking and jumping trains with his older brother Paul (some going the wrong direction). He left Chicago in 1941 to join his brothers in San Francisco, where he became a ship-shell welder during WWII. In 1943, the Draft Board sent him back to farm. He rented for one season, purchased the current home-site the following year, and actively farmed until the end - 70 seasons.   
• Throughout his life, Cal was insistent on doing things himself. He constructed buildings, including the foundation, framing, wiring, plumbing, and even did finish carpentry when needed.  He had a weakness for owning latest farm machinery, so much that he built his own when something wasn't available.  His love for John Deere equipment began in 1943, with the purchase of his first piece of new equipment - a steel wheeled "B" John Deere tractor and 2-bottom plow. He kept all his equipment current, including a recent order for delivery this spring. His skills for straight planting had vendors understanding why he did not need GPS.
• On October 7^th, 1944, Cal eloped with his childhood friend Adelia (Billie) Emmen, beginning a true love affair and partnership that lasted over 68 years. Throughout

(Continued on page 9)