You are Visitor # to Levittowners. COM
since October 5, 1997
He
Loved Levittown
Richard L Wagner
1920-2009
Richard L (Pop-Pop)
Wagner of Levittown passed peacefully at
the age of 88 on April 26, 2009 at
Langhorne Gardens. Born to German
immigrants Adolph and Lydia (Heydegger)
Wagner and raised in South Philadelphia,
he was a US Navy Veteran of WWII, a
career machinist, a master glassblower,
and a proud, original Levittowner.
Pop-Pop provided much of the content for
this website because he wanted to
preserve the heritage of our hometown
which he loved so much. He had a
lifelong interest in physical fitness
and was still ballroom dancing at the
age of 80. He also loved coaching and
supporting local swimming and wrestling
programs.
He is predeceased by his
loving wife Gertrude Elisabeth (Kuehner)
Wagner who passed in 1986. Pop-Pop
will be truly missed by his only son
Richard G Wagner and his wife Amy
(Duckett) Wagner and his only grandson
Jackson Wagner, as well as by his second
wife Florence Kennedy Wagner of
Levittown, whose love and companionship
blessed his twilight years.
Select the "wagner family scrapbook"
link above to learn more about Pop-Pop's
life.
Tired of the Crowds at the
Jersey Shore? So were we. That is why we renovated our
Historic Inn in the
quiet & pristine Victorian beach resort
town of Cape Charles, just north of Virginia
Beach. Why not take your next family
vacation on the Virginia's Eastern Shore at our 16
room water-view Inn or our beachfront
rental home? It's laid back, not
crowded, affordable & only less than 5
hours from Levittown or Philadelphia.
Welcome to Levittown, PA
Levittowner
Syllabication: Lev•it•town•er
Pronunciation: (lev'it-toun"-er)
Definition: 1. Noun - A name given to a
resident of Levittown. 2. Noun - A name given to residents of
any U.S. post–World War II new suburbs,
typically middle-class families living in
inexpensive, single-unit housing outside urban
centers.
Levittowners.COM is a website for
people who grew up in Levittown, PA. This site is all about the great social experiment
that was, and is, our hometown of
Levittown, PA. My wife and I first launched this
site in 1997 & the site has been
evolving ever since. During that time,
we have been contacted by thousands of "Levittowners"
who have also contributed to it's
current content. In 2007 we did a
major update to the website to celebrate
our 10th anniversary on the web.
We hope you enjoy it,
Rich Wagner - Snowball Gate &
Neshaminy Langhorne Class of 1977 Amy (Duckett) Wagner - Twin Oaks
& Neshaminy Maple Point Class of 1980 Pop-Pop Wagner - Snowball Gate &
Olney High Class of 1938
Introduction
"Levittowners" was the name given to the
young, post WWII families, like my
parents Dick & Betty Wagner, who moved
out of a row house in Northeast
Philly in search of the American dream
of owing their own single family home
with a yard. In post-WWII America,
Levittown, PA represented a new lifestyle, in a "modern suburban planned
community", and Levitt was the pioneer,
offering affordable homes to ordinary
people.
Levittown, PA was the
prototype of post-WWII Suburbia. It was built from 1951
to December 1957 by developer Levitt & Sons, whose front
man was William J. Levittt. The community covered 22
square miles and over 5,500 acres in lower Bucks County.
At the time, it was the largest suburban planned
community in the United States. Levitt & Sons built
17,311 single-family homes and the community plan also
included churches, schools, swimming pools, and shopping
centers. It was inhabited by over 70,000 residents,
mostly WWII Veterans and their young families. They came
from Philly, Jersey, and Upstate PA to realize the
American Dream of owning a single family home with a
yard in Levittown.
The houses cost from just under $ 9,000 to $ 17,990,
fully equipped and landscaped. Levittown houses were
easy to buy, requiring only $100 down. For veterans, a
Levittowner was offered for no money down. Homeowners
paid around $60 a month in VA or FHA mortgage payment.
Welcome to Levittown, PA