Michael J. Wagner, one of the original homeowners in the Whitehall neighborhood of Annapolis, died on October 11 at the age of 94 due to complications related to dementia. Michael died in Bradenton, Florida, where he lived for the final 16 years of his retirement.

Michael was born in Baltimore and was the second oldest of five children raised by Michael Sr. and Margaret (nee Ryan) Wagner. He was only 14 years old when his father died and always felt very fortunate to receive a scholarship to the McDonogh School, where he was a boarding student who played football and baseball.

Michael is a 1943 graduate of McDonogh and remained a devoted supporter of the Owings Mills private school throughout his lifetime. He also received a scholarship to Duke University, where he would earn an engineering degree.

Michael's education at Duke was interrupted by service in the United States Navy during World War II. He spent most of that time serving aboard a ship stationed out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba that towed targets.

Michael was a member of the inaugural men's lacrosse team at Duke despite having never played the sport previously. He graduated from the Durham, North Carolina institution in 1949.

Michael returned to the Baltimore area and began a lengthy career as an electrical engineer with Westinghouse Corporation, working out of the headquarters on Route 170 near what was then known as Friendship Airport.

Michael later became a top executive with a branch of Westinghouse known as TCOM (short for telecommunications), which constructed tethered aerostats that were primarily used for surveillance. Michael managed installation of the interior electronic systems and made many trips to Elizabeth City, North Carolina where the aerostats were manufactured and tested.

In 1956, Michael married the former Barbara McCambridge of Philadelphia, who was the daughter of one of his mother's childhood friends. They moved to the Annapolis area in the late 1960s after purchasing waterfront property on Whitehall Creek, primarily for the purpose of berthing a sailboat.

Sailing was a passion Barbara instilled in Michael and they enjoyed together throughout their marriage, cruising the Chesapeake Bay aboard two boats named Tarrock. They were initially members of the Spry Island Cruising Club while sailing a Knutson 35, an all-wooden Sparkman & Stephens design. They later purchased a fiberglass Columbia 36 while active members of the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake.

Michael served as commodore of the Sailing Club of the Chesapeake in 1985 and hosted the annual Oyster Roast every October at the Whitehall Creek home. Family vacations were spent on the sailboat during twice-a-summer two-week cruises to a series of destinations on the Chesapeake Bay. Every other summer, the family sailed to Cape May, New Jersey for two weeks at the beach.

Michael took early retirement from Westinghouse in order to care for Barbara, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 1988. After having never performed housework throughout their marriage, Michael took charge of cooking, cleaning and doing the laundry while simultaneously devoting his energy to buoying the spirits of Barbara during that difficult 15-year period.

Michael took up golf in retirement and was a senior member at Eisenhower Golf Course then Twin Shields Golf Club in Dunkirk.

After Barbara died in 2002, Michael sold the property at 1034 Whitehall Cove Road and embarked on a true retirement life. He married Florence Mueller, a lifelong friend, and they enjoyed splitting time between a pair of golf course communities in Pennsylvania and Florida.

Spring and summer months were spent at Hershey's Mill in West Chester, while the winter months were spent at Tara Golf & Country Club in Bradenton. Michael became a widower for the second time when Florence died in September 2010.

Michael is survived by his two sons – Charles Michael (Heather) of Alaska and William Joseph (Caryl) of Odenton. He is also survived by three grandsons – Michael (Nina), Zach and Mac. In addition to his parents and two wives, Michael was predeceased by his four siblings – Peggy, Andy, Charlie and Tommy.

Visitation will be held Monday, October 28 (4-7 p.m.) at Barranco Severna Park Funeral Home & Cremation Care, P.A., 495 Ritchie Highway. A funeral mass will be offered on Tuesday, October 29 (10 a.m.) at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 689 Ritchie Highway. A private burial will be held at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Catholic Charities of Baltimore, 320 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201.

Online condolences may be made on www.barrancofuneralhome.com