Roll Call Tribute

Frederick W. "Fred" Wagner 

February 4, 1940 - February 2026 

red was born at home during a snowstorm somewhere between Waterford and Erie Pennsylvania. His parents were Eldred Penrose and Helen Margaret (Weinheimer) Wagner. His family moved to Erie, just a few miles away, shortly thereafter. He lived there where his father, a contractor, built a small room off the back of the two story house for him.

When he was six years old the family relocated to south Texas. They lived in San Antonio for a short while before settling in Brownsville. Fred had many adventures growing up. He rode his bike around town with a bb-gun balanced on the handlebars, had a paper route, and loved playing pool more than going to school. He made many lifelong friends in Brownsville.

After graduating in the lower segments of his high school class he attended Texas Southmost Junior College in Brownsville where the dean suggested that he was not college material and offered to return his tuition money to his mother since she was a family friend. That got his attention and his school work dramatically improved. He went on to receive his bachelor's degree from Southwest Texas State College in San Marcos in 1962. In 1966 he returned to visit the dean who wanted to return his early college tuition to show him his PhD in Biochemistry from Texas A&M University.

He did a Post Doctorate Fellowship at the School of Aerospace Medicine in San Antonio before accepting a permanent position at the University of Nebraska. At Nebraska, he is credited with 42 research works with 1,097 citations and received a Distinguished Teaching Award.

Fred and his first wife, Deborah, welcomed their son, Erik von, while in San Antonio and daughter, Kirsten Ann, shortly after arriving in Lincoln.

During his time at the University of Nebraska he did two sabbatical leaves. One was at the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen and the other at Harvard Medical School.

In 1988, Fred was a co-founder of BioNebraska, which later became Restoragen. The company was active until 2002. Restoragen was a pioneer in recombinant production of physiologically active peptides, including GLP-1, and in manufacturing environmental monitoring kits for heavy metals. Restoragen-manufactured GLP-1 was used in the first clinical study to show that longer term administration of the peptide successfully controls blood glucose levels, paving the way for the GLP-1 class of medications to treat diabetes and obesity.

Through all of his work, he holds numerous national and international patents.

Outside of work, Fred made beautiful furniture and other wooden items for friends and family. He also loved taking photographs and traveling to beautiful places that needed photographing.

Fred married Marsha in 1998. They had many adventures, but mostly loved going to activities where grandchildren were involved. Fred often stated that marrying Marsha was one of the smartest things he'd ever done, and his family agreed.

Fred was preceded in death by his parents and sister Ellener Lawrence of Brownsville, Texas.

He is survived by his wife Marsha, children Erik (Suzy) Wagner of Cheyenne WY, and Kirsten (Larry) Lancaster of Durango, CO; step-children Mandy (Jeremy) Zenor of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Joshua (Rhema) Harrah of Lincoln; grandchildren; John (Monica) Wagner of Livingston MT, Wilson Wagner and Jane Wagner of Cheyenne, WY, Morgan Johnson (Shawn Gallagher) of Lincoln, Jaxson (Finley) Johnson of Lincoln, Thea Lancaster and Duncan Lancaster of Durango, CO, Devon Lee and Taryn Harrah of Lincoln; great-grandson Paul Wagner of Livingston MT.

Celebration of Life will be held on February 21st from 5:00 - 8:00PM at Of the Earth Florals in Lincoln.