Christopher John Wagner, of Geneva, Switzerland, born Nov. 15, 1956, died on March 18, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland at the age of 69. Christopher was the son of the late president of SDSU Robert T. Wagner and the late State Senator Mary K. Wagner.
He attended Brookings High School (class of 1974) and after earning his Bachelor in Music degree from Northwestern in 1978, he moved to Europe and joined the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera House where he played the
double bass for over 10 years. He later went to Stanford Law School and Harvard and became a lawyer and a business entrepreneur. After marrying his wife Johanna, a Swiss national, in 1997, he moved back to Switzerland where they raised two children.
Christopher was a Renaissance man; he played and recorded classical music with the greatest names in the field. He loved wine, good food and pleasant company. He traveled the world, spoke several languages and never stopped learning and always adding new items to his considerable knowledge. He was a black belt in martial arts and rode his cycle all around Europe and North America and loved riding trains, preferably with steam engines.
He is preceded in death by his parents Robert and Mary Wagner and his sister Andrea Radke.
He is survived by his wife, Johanna Grombach Wagner, Geneva Switzerland; daughters Lara Wagner, Palo Alto CA and Helena Wagner, Fribourg, Switzerland as well as his uncle’s; Peter (Connie) Wagner, Sibley IA; Tom (Tenia) Wagner, Omaha NE and John (Annie) Wagner, Sioux Falls SD; niece Erin (Kurt) Woodring Née Radke, Franklin TN and nephew Lee Radke, Sioux Falls SD.
A celebration of his life took place in Geneva, Switzerland on April 25, 2026.
Leave a Reply