Nov 21, 2008   | COMMENTS     

John Franklin Rennie Wagner


John Franklin Rennie Wagner, a George Washington University Law School student and an actor who starred in local theater, died Oct. 30 at his residence, according to the D.C. medical examiner. The cause of death is pending. He was 32.

Wagner appeared as Danny in “Grease” at Lazy Susan Dinner Theatre in 2000 and with the St. Mark’s Players on Capitol Hill, he appeared as Charles Thompson in “1776” in 2004 and as the Cat in the Hat in “Seussical the Musical” in 2005. 

Born on May 6, 1976, in Lexington, Va., Wagner was the son of Josephine “Jody” Rennie Wagner and the late David Franklin Wagner. He graduated in 1994 from Robert E. Lee High School in Staunton, Va., where he won multiple academic awards and was class president. He graduated cum laude from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., in 1998. 

At college, Wagner was a leader within the faith, music and theater communities, where he was a member of the Catholic Student Organization, the a cappella group Double Take, the national honors music fraternity Delta Tau Delta Omicron and student theater organizations. He was a member of the William and Mary Choir and Botetourt Chamber Singers, was elected president of the choir, and traveled with the choir to Europe where he sang before Margaret Thatcher and other dignitaries. The choir sang at President Clinton’s second inauguration in 1997. 

After moving to the D.C. area in 1999 with his partner, Brian Childers, Wagner pursued varied careers. He was a math teacher in Stafford County Public Schools, office manager for RE/MAX Capital Realtors, and an executive assistant at the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities before choosing a law career. 

He enrolled at Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in 2005 and transferred to the George Washington University Law School where he was a candidate for Juris Doctor in May 2009. He volunteered with G.W.’s Lambda Law and the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, while still working a full-time job as a legal assistant at the Employment Law Group.

His civil union of five years to Brian Childers was dissolved in 2005.

Along with his mother, he is survived by sisters Alexis Wagner of Staunton, Va., Annie Wagner Shaffer of Harrisonburg, Va., Felica White, of Richmond, Ky. and a brother, David Wagner Jr., of Winchester, Ky., and his beloved Bichon Frise, Sarah.

A memorial service will be held Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Jack Morton Auditorium of the George Washington University Law School, located at 805 21 St., N.W., Washington.  For more information, contact loutimmons@gmail.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Whitman-Walker Clinic, 1407 S Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009 or to Lambda Legal, at 120 Wall Street, Suite 1500, New York, NY 10005.

James Hutton Lemly, 59



James Hutton Lemly, Jr., died of coronary heart disease at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on Nov. 5. He was 59.

He was born in Oxford, Miss., on Nov. 18, 1948, the son of the late Dr. James Hutton Lemly, Sr. and the late Onice Walker Lemly.

He received an undergraduate degree from Duke University in 1970 before serving in the United States Army from 1970 to 1973. After receiving a master’s in public accountancy from Georgia State University in 1975, Lemly relocated to Washington and began his career in the civilian federal service at the Department of Justice where he served in a number of accounting positions in the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Justice Management Division.

In 1983, he met the requirements and received the certification as a Certified Public Accountant in D.C. In 1989, he joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). His career at FEMA spanned 17 years in different senior systems accounting positions until his retirement in 2006. Lemly served as FEMA’s deputy chief financial officer in 1993.

From 1983 to 1997, he was co-director of the Tom Davoren Social Contract Bridge Club that was originally a project of the Gay Community Center in D.C. (GCC/DC). He was treasurer of the GCC/DC from 1987 to 1989. He joined the Washington D.C. chapter of Black Tie International in 1999 and co-hosted its fall 2003 event.

Lemly is survived by his partner of 29 years, Dr. Thomas Brown. They purchased a weekend home in Rehoboth in 1995 and moved to the beach upon their retirements in 2006. They maintained an apartment in Washington until this summer.

Memorial services will be held Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at the Parsell Funeral Home & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings Highway, Lewes, Del. Visitation will precede the services starting at 10:30 a.m. Memorial gifts should be sent to: Jim Lemly Memorial, CAMP Rehoboth, 37 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971.