In Memoriam
Theodore R. “Ted” Wagner
Ted Wagner
1964 Yale graduation
August 2, 2026
On this date Ted Wagner ’64 passed away. Below are the following remembrances:
Obituary
Ted Wagner
in recent years
Theodore Ross Wagner, age 83, of Wyckoff, NJ, passed away peacefully on August 2, 2026.
Born to Theodore and Ruth Wagner, Ted was raised in Floral Park, New York. He graduated from Floral Park Memorial High School before attending Yale University where he earned both his undergraduate degree and his law degree. He remained deeply involved in the Yale alumni community throughout his life, maintaining strong ties to both the college and the law school. Before beginning his legal career, Ted served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969.
He devoted more than five decades to the practice of law as a trusts and estates attorney at Carter, Ledyard & Milburn LLP. Joining the firm in 1969, he went on to serve as a partner and head of his department. He remained with the firm until 2021. Throughout his distinguished legal career, he earned the respect of colleagues and clients alike for his wisdom, integrity, and thoughtful counsel.
While Ted's professional accomplishments were significant, they were only one part of a life rich in faith, curiosity, service, and generosity. He gave generously of both his time and resources to numerous charitable organizations, including serving as a founding board member and director from 1990 to 2015 of the 42nd Street Development Corp and the New Victory Theater in New York City, as well as serving on the Board of Directors for St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation in Paterson, NJ. He also was an active member and leader in his church communities, including serving on the vestry of three Episcopal churches: The Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City, St. Elizabeth’s in Ridgewood, and All Saints' in Glen Rock.
Ted was a perpetual student, and he loved reading on subjects ranging from history to string theory. He also found great joy in spending time with his family, traveling, playing bridge, and golf. Those who knew Ted will remember not only his intellect and accomplishments, but also his kindness, generosity, and genuine interest in the people around him.
Essay, 60th Reunion Book
by Ted Wagner
May 2024
Ted and Eileen Wagner
recently
Ah, the golden years. Actually, they have not been as fearsome as some had warned me they would be. I am retired, but that simply means, at least for a trusts and estates lawyer in New York, that I cannot charge for legal advice. But I probably wouldn't have charged my old friends and clients anyway. And no matter how many times I tell them that I am retired, my old friends keep coming back.
I have spent my retirement continuing some charitable work, but also making lots of new friends among all of the other retired elderly folks, with whom I now join in book clubs, chess, bridge, and golf (when my hand is not acting up), as well as lunch groups. My two sons finally got married in the last two years. It was a seemingly long wait, but the women they chose are terrific, and my wife and I are so glad they did. We can't be more pleased, and we also finally have a grandchild.
Now life is just a matter of trying to stay healthy, and trying to enjoy each day as it comes.
Essay, 50th Reunion Book
by Ted Wagner
May 2014
Lou Gehrig, in his famous farewell speech at Yankee Stadium, said that he considered himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” I can associate with that; I certainly have been blessed in my 70 years.
First, there is Yale. How did I ever get in? But what a great experience. A first-class education by brilliant professors (Cleanth Brooks, Vin Scully, and Robert Penn Warren come immediately to mind), but also by an amazingly diverse, and often just as brilliant, group of classmates who opened my mind to concepts and thoughts that were entirely new to a poor public-high-school student.
That was followed by law school, an intellectual challenge. This surely was the brightest, most intellectually stimulating, collection of people I had ever known.
And then for a jarring change, I went into the Army. One month I had been with 170 or so Yale Law School classmates, seven of whom were former Rhodes Scholars, two of whom would be legitimate presidential contenders, probably half of whom were Phi Beta Kappas, and two months later I was in a basic training unit. There perhaps only slightly more than half of my 150 comrades had graduated from high school. But these are good people, many with a great deal of ingenuity and common sense, and they are what make up a large portion of our nation. It was great to live with them and to know them, and I never forget them.
From the Army I went to an old-line New York law firm, and now, 44 years later, I am still there. We are about 100 lawyers, where I don’t make millions a year, but my colleagues are bright and generous with their time and ideas, and diverse in their non-law interests. More important, as a trusts-and-estates lawyer I have been blessed with a clientele who present intellectually challenging problems (and can afford to pay for elegant solutions), and truly are, for the most part, among the nicest people you could meet. Law is fun, because to help your clients, you have to understand their assets, their businesses, and their goals, which means you have to learn, by teaching yourself, all sorts of things. I have represented people who owned ranches, restaurants, racehorses, fine art, and newspapers. They have been politicians, authors, professors, philanthropists, and business men and women. It has been fun.
Mostly, however, I am blessed because I was lucky enough to woo and win my lovely wife Eileen, and we have been blessed with two great sons, Ted and Bill, both of whom are bright, although they may not always believe it, and both of whom have a great sense of humor. These three have enriched my life beyond all measure.
Has my life been greatly different from that of most of our classmates? I doubt it, but it has been a great ride, and I have every reason to consider myself among the luckiest people alive.