Titus Wagler: 1958 – 2024

Randy Evans writes about the passing of Titus Wagler, of Bloomfield, Iowa. Titus was brother to Ira Wagler, and son to David Wagler, both well-known writers with Amish roots. From Randy’s recent column “Never put off what you might regret”:

This lesson arrived the week before Christmas when I spotted a small obituary in the Bloomfield Democrat. Seven succinct paragraphs informed readers of the death of Titus Wagler, 66, a longtime Davis County business owner.

In 1997, Wagler and relatives began Midwest Truss Co., a small manufacturing operation whose employees produce wooden trusses for builders in southern Iowa and northern Missouri.

For several years, I had been promising myself, and Titus, that I would drop by “soon” for coffee and conversation. Unfortunately, “soon” kept getting delayed — because of work, because of the weather, because of other distractions … because … because … because.

Titus could not easily come to see me. It was not easy to orchestrate a coffee klatch in Des Moines for two unlikely acquaintances. Titus spent 42 of his 66 years in a wheelchair, and there are no drivers in his closest circle of friends.

Titus was a member of the Old Order Amish Church, a religious denomination known for its members’ distinctive style of dress, with wide-brimmed hats and bonnets, for their use of horse-drawn transportation, and for shunning conveniences many people would not want to live without today — cars and trucks, electricity, television, computers, the internet. And most telephones.

Randy describes how he got to know Titus over extended phone conversations. Titus would call following publication of Randy’s columns, to discuss them:

Our conversations typically were about subjects I wrote on, some book or article he read, or some trend he observed in American society that concerned him. Titus was an avid reader. He often would politely but firmly point out flaws he saw in some of my columns’ logic.

Other times we might talk about some aspect of the Amish way of life that struck a chord with me — such as the inspiring compassion and forgiveness shown by Amish families in the Nickel Mines village of Pennsylvania toward the family of an “English” man who massacred six Amish girls there in their one-room school.

Such conversations only whetted our desire for more time to talk, especially face to face. He promised his wife Ruth would have a fresh pot of coffee waiting if I stopped by their home west of Bloomfield.

Randy writes of his regret at not managing to stop by. I’m sure it is something many of us can relate to.

David Wagler was widely-known among the Amish for his books and writing for Pathway Publications, including in Family Life. One of his books, Through Deep Waters, covered the diving accident which had left Titus paralyzed.

Many of you know Ira Wagler, author of Growing Up Amish and Broken Roads: Returning to my Amish Father. The latter focuses much on Ira’s relationship with father David. Ira writes about Titus here.

I didn’t know Titus, but have fuzzy memories of meeting him briefly, way back in 2004. It was one of my first forays into the Amish world, as I was in the Bloomfield community over several days, selling books. I ran into him in his shop, as I recall, but can’t remember much of what we spoke about.

Condolences to Titus’ family, and to Ira and his extended family.

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