Thursday, October 1, 2026
After serving the community for over four decades as a dedicated volunteer with the Long Beach Fire Department, 63-year-old Capt. David Wagner died unexpectedly on April 17.
On March 30, Wagner celebrated his seventh wedding anniversary with Denise Jones, herself a seven-year volunteer with the Fire Department’s rescue company. The couple had been together for nearly 14 years, during which their long friendship evolved into a romance.
Wagner has three daughters from a previous marriage — Joanna, Jessica and Jeanette. Jones has a son, Michael, and a daughter, Stephanie. Collectively the couple have seven granddaughters, ranging in age from 18 to 2, and their first grandson is due in July. “He used to say, ‘I’m done with my girls,’” Jones said of her husband. “‘It’s all about the grandkids now.’”
While the Fire Department was a major focus, Wagner made time to enjoy family life. Like many Long Beach natives, he was an avid fisherman. He also had a pilot’s license, and flew recreationally. Jones said he earned the pilot’s license before his driver’s license.
After a honeymoon in Aruba, the couple took regular vacations to the Dominican Republic, often with friends. “He was a wonderful husband, father, mentor and leader,” Jones said. “He was a gentleman. He loved his family.”
LBFD Commissioner Joseph Miller noted Wagner’s deep ties to the department. “He was on committees. He was involved with the companies, with training, with procedures, with the trial board,” Miller said. “Everything and anything, Dave was involved in. He brought a positive touch with his knowledge and sincerity of trying to make things better. His loss definitely will be felt by everyone.”
Wagner began his volunteer firefighting career as a member of Engine 2, later transitioning to Engine 4 to safeguard the city’s center, and earning the rank of captain. In recent years he shifted to the department’s command post and served in a more supervisory role, helping to train and mentor incoming firefighters.
“He was like a father figure to some — maybe theirs wasn’t around too much, or he was like a second one to them,” Chief John Marino said. “He was always there for the membership. Training-wise, knowledge, life lessons. A true asset to the department. Just a wealth of knowledge and an all-around good guy to be around.”
Wagner was involved in the administrative side of the department as well as its community-based work, serving on the budget committee and as treasurer. He also played key roles in the Exempt Firemen’s Benevolent Association, a group focused on providing support to injured volunteer firefighters in the community. He was a past president of the organization, and was its vice president at the time of his death.
“He devoted his life to the fire department,” Miller emphasized. “Throughout the years, he was involved all the way. … It’s definitely a loss.”
