Marius M. Wagner 1949-2017

Marius M. Wagner, MD, long-time Tucson cardiologist, passed away May 17, 2017.  He was 68.

Wagner was born March 10, 1949 in Transylvania, Romania to Drs. Julius and Victoria Wagner.  Wagner graduated from medical school at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest, Romania. Following his studies, he immigrated to the United States and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in 1979 and cardiology fellowship at Coney Island Hospital in 1981.

In 1983 Wagner moved to Tucson to start his cardiology practice with Edward Byrne-Quinn, MD at Associates in Internal Medicine.  He practiced interventional cardiology for 34 years and was a partner at Pima Heart Associates.

Wagner joined the Pima County Medical Society in 1983. From 1990-1992, he served as an alternate to the PCMS Board of Directors and alternate delegate to the Arizona Medical Association. He was a member of the American College of Cardiology.

His family said he “practiced medicine as he lived his life – with integrity, dignity, and a respect for humanity. In his final days, an endless line of patients contacted the family to pay their respects to a physician who profoundly impacted their lives.”

Wagner was passionate about travel and photography. Both he and his wife travelled the globe. He was a life-long learner and avid student of history and philosophy. He had a deep love and understanding of music. As a young adult, he was a violinist in the young professional orchestra in Romania. Dr. Wagner was also an accomplished hiker. His favorite place in the world was the Grand Canyon and in 2016 he hiked the Canyon three times (including a one-day, rim-to-rim hike).

Survivors include his wife of 36 years, Shirley Wagner; three sons Richard (Molly) Wagner of New York City, Patrick Wagner of Tucson, and Dr. Eric Wagner of Houston; sister Dr. Gabrielle Wagner of Erlangen, Germany; and nephews Philipp Wagner of Stuttgart, Germany, and Dr. Frederik Wagner of Jena, Germany. He loved and embraced his extended family in Michigan and Ohio.

Prayers by Father Earl Cantos of St. Demetrios Orthodox Church and eulogy by Dr. Wagner’s three sons will be offered at 9:30 AM on Thursday, May 25, at the Chapel of East Lawn Palms Cemetery, 5801 E. Grant Road in Tucson, Arizona. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that charitable donations be made in his memory to the Defeat GBM Research Collaborative (http://defeatgbm.org/). Correspondence to the family may be sent to greathealer75@yahoo.com.