Jimmy "Jim" Roland Wagner

Jimmy “Jim” Roland Wagner, known as J. Roland Wagner, during his career as an attorney, was born on August 12, 1937 in Aromas, California. Jim was predeceased by his loving mother, Glenda Darline Hughes (1915-2012) and his father, Benjamin "Rex" Wagner (1910- 1958).

Jim spent most of his childhood In San Jose and was a very accomplished musician. He exceled on the piano, trombone, saxophone, drums and bugle. He was also a competitive cyclist, eventually competing at a national level on the velodrome and earning a place on an Olympic training team. Jim was also a competitive diver and later also developed a passion for racing cars and motorcycles, competing throughout the Bay Area.

While attending San Jose High School, Jim became interested in the Jr. Statesman program, eventually becoming President of the San Jose Chapter and hosting a statewide conference. As a part of that program, Jim participated in the Statesman's Supreme Court Mock trial program. It was here that his love of the law began.

In 1955 Jim enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Korea, Iwo Jima, Hawaii and then Travis Air Force Base. While stationed in Hawaii, he met his wife to be, Louise Henry, who was also serving in the Air Force. They married in 1957 and moved to Louise's home town of Pocatello, Idaho where they attended Idaho State University. A highlight of Jim's college career was his archeological digs in the Arco Desert of Idaho.

Jim and Louise eventually moved to Napa to be close to Jim's family. His uncle Kenny owned and operated a number of local restaurants, including the Pancake House, and his uncles Frank and Don were cattlemen. Jim and Louise raised three children Mishelle, Benita and Eric.

Jim began attending night school at San Francisco Law School to earn his Juris Doctorate in law. He was admitted to the California State Bar in 1968. Jim began his legal career working in the Napa County District Attorney's Office, as an assistant District Attorney.

By 1972, Jim began his own law practice, and during the 1980s Jim's law firm served as the office of the Napa County Public Defender, providing criminal defense legal service to indigent defendants.

In 1977 Jim was remarried to Dorothy Glaros, and their son Stavros was born in 1981. During this time, Jim became a member of the Napa Valley Horsemen's Association and was an accomplished horseman and cattleman. He was also a member of the Napa County Sheriff's mounted posse.

Jim was a past President of the Napa County Bar Association, and he defended many high profile capital murder cases in his career. He was an avid reader of case law and began publishing a monthly Criminal Law Newsletter entitled "In Case You Missed It" which was circulated throughout the legal community in California. Jim was well known as an extremely knowledgeable and accomplished trial attorney. He tried thousands of cases in his career, and always prided himself on his tireless dedication to defending the rights of his clients. Jim had published case decisions which were heard in the California Supreme Court and were featured on news and televisions shows such as “60 Minutes”.

In 1985, Jim was remarried to his current wife, Susan (Rock) Vig, and their daughter Nicole was born in 1985.

As his legal career winded down, Jim became a fixture on the golf course at the Napa Valley Country Club. He enjoyed playing golf with the notorious men's golf group “the Bandits”, and he also became a golf historian and collector.

Jim's other passions also included sail boating, fishing and flying airplanes. He maintained his pilot's license for many years and served as President of the Napa County Airport Commission. Jim also taught courses in criminal justice at the Napa Valley College.

Jim is survived by his wife Sue Wagner, daughter Mishelle Irvine (husband Bruce), daughter Benita Duncan, son Eric (wife Lori), son Stavros and daughter Nicole, all of Napa. Jim's grandchildren are Ryan Wagner, Emily Duncan, Katherine Wagner, Kevin Wagner, and Lauren Wagner. He is also survived by his step-children, Donovan (Angela) and Melissa (Stephen) and their children, Dav, Christopher, Aden and Brandon.

Funeral services will be held at Tulocay Funeral Home at 1 p.m. on Monday, March 25

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