John “Jack” Howard Wagahoff, 89, of Jacksonville, died on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, at Walker Nursing Home in Virginia.
A memorial service will begin at 11 a.m. at the Buchanan and Cody Funeral Home in Jacksonville on Saturday, Nov. 4, with a visitation immediately following the service. The burial will be private.
Mr. Wagahoff was born at home in Raymond on July 30, 1934, to Leo and Opal (Herman) Wagahoff. He was raised on the family farm, along with his three older brothers and his sister. He graduated from Raymond High School in 1952.
During and after high school, he worked as a mechanic at Bandy Chevrolet in Raymond, as well as on the farm with his family. He joined the United States Army and served his country from 1957-1959 while stationed at Fort Hood in Killeen, TX.
He married his first wife, Gynell Edmonds of Beaumont, TX, and they were blessed with one daughter, Jacklyn Gebhardt Still of Jacksonville. He later married Susan Mangold of Alta, IA, and they built their life together in Jacksonville. To this union four more daughters were born; Debbie (Bruce) Jokisch of Virginia, Julie (Bill) Malach of O’Fallon, MO, Dana (Mike) Prather of Jacksonville, and Amy (David) Lovelady of Columbia, MO.
Mr. Wagahoff loved working on all kinds of cars and was a well-known and respected auto mechanic in the Jacksonville area. After working many years at Cox, Buick and Pontiac, he opened his own car repair business, Jack’s Auto Clinic, in June of 1979. He appreciated all of his customers and went above and beyond to help them with their car repair needs. After 17 years of running a successful business, he retired in July of 1996.
He was an avid racing fan. In his spare time, he enjoyed racing at the Jacksonville Speedway. He won numerous races, trophies, and titles and was also known to dominate when he entered a demolition derby. His biggest fans cheering him on were five little girls wearing their matching #44 sweatshirts. After he retired from racing, he built a “push buggy” to help start sprint cars so he would have a “reason” to still be on the track. Watching NASCAR was another love of his with Dale Earnhardt, and more recently, Kyle Larson, being his favorite drivers.
He is survived by his sister, Mary Francis “Toots” (Lester) Walch of Raymond; five daughters; 13 grandchildren, Denise (Ryan) Nichols and Greg (Kelsey) Gebhardt, both of Jacksonville, Brad (Kirstin) Gebhardt of Springfield, Eric (Kayla) Jokisch and Taylor (Henry) McClure, both of Jacksonville, Austin (Joe) Houser of Cottleville, MO, Zach Malach of Hazelwood, MO, Logan Malach of San Francisco, CA, Dustin (Stephanie) Prather of Jacksonville, Amanda Prather of Franklin, Trever (Kassidi) Prather of Jacksonville, and Kingston Lovelady and Laila Lovelady, both of Columbia, MO; and 17 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers, Harold, Robert and Kenneth.
Mr. Wagahoff will be remembered most for his devotion and love he gave his children and grandchildren. They were his ultimate source of pride and his greatest accomplishment and main source of happiness. To say that he was a proud father and grandfather is an understatement.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Jacksonville Speedway.
