Russell "Rusty" Wagner II, 71, of West Palm Beach, passed away on September 15, 2026. A Floridian through and through, Rusty spent his whole life in the Sunshine State and managed to find adventure in just about every corner of it.

A true jack-of-all trades, Rusty worked a variety of jobs. In his younger years he got by diving, lobstering, fishing, hunting, and learning to build. He went on to work as a carpenter, and eventually as a construction site superintendent. He built bridges for the Florida Department of Transportation, and ran his own computer repair business. Construction and motherboards: not a combination you see on many résumés.

His hobbies reflected his curiosity and enthusiasm. Over the years Rusty was a magician, an electronics-maker, a fisherman, a wood carver, an orchid-grower, a painter, a hunter, and a camper. He had the soul of an artist and often bemoaned that he hadn’t learned how to draw earlier in life, so that he could have had more practice by the time he hit adulthood. He was a voracious reader, especially of history, fantasy, and science fiction, and passed this love on to his children. He was much more intelligent than he ever gave himself credit for, and he never stopped learning. At 71, he was still calling up local college professors to see if one of them would tutor him in calculus so he could understand circuits better. Most people spend their retirement avoiding math; Rusty went looking for it.

Rusty could walk into a room full of strangers and walk out with a room full of friends. He was honest, practical, passionate, and always willing to lend a hand. He had strong opinions that he shared freely, but he would also apologize and admit when he was wrong. He was incredibly funny, often inappropriately so, and enjoyed shocking people into laughter. One of his oldest friends said it best: "He taught me how to be a man when I was young, and the importance of family."

Rusty overcame a tough childhood and built a family that he loved with his whole heart. With his protective nature, he made sure his children had all the skills that they needed to survive in an uncertain world. He was an outdoorsman and firmly believed in leaving nature better than he found it. He also had a philosophical side: some of his children’s best memories of him are of the nights that he let them stay up late, looking at the stars through a telescope, and talking about life, the universe, and everything in between.

Rusty loved God and trusted that Jesus would always make a way, even when things looked hopeless. He spent his last days outside, in God’s creation, where he was happiest: fishing (or at least trying to), watching the clouds roll by, the trees sway, and the animals roam.

Rusty is survived by his wife, Karen Wagner; his children, Russell Wagner III and Tiffany Hopkins; and his grandchildren, Russell Wagner IV, Elliot Hopkins, and Caleb Hopkins.

A celebration of life will be held on 11/8/2026 at 11am at Ocean Reef Pavilion in Riviera Beach. In lieu of flowers, Rusty would want you to bring your fishing pole.