Wilbur Lee Nahrgang

Wilbur Lee Nahrgang, 86, of Denton, Texas passed away peacefully at his home after a very brief illness on Monday, September 29, 2025.

He was born on June 6, 1939 to Alma Elisabeth Lander Nahrgang and Henry Karl Nahrgang in Iowa Park, Texas. Born at the end of the Great Depression into a German speaking household that was eking out a living working as ranch hands and maids, he was very much shaped by his circumstances. Discipline, hard work, an active imagination, and frugality became hallmarks of his future self.

He attended school in a one room schoolhouse outside of West, Texas where he excelled academically. He was an only child and an only grandchild on his paternal side, and while his family lived and worked on farms, he was encouraged to focus on academics instead of farm work. After completing 6th grade in the country school, the family moved outside Fort Worth, Texas where he attended junior high and finally North Side High School. He continued to shine academically and graduated at 16 as Valedictorian from North Side High School, Class of 1956. While in high school, his "uniqueness" began to shine and he was given the moniker "Fargone Nahrgang". He received a full academic scholarship to study physics at Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, TX. After making his first B in a math class while at TCU, he switched majors and graduated Summa Cum Laude from TCU with a double major in german and psychology at 20 years old.

He turned down a Fulbright Scholarship and opted for a three-year all-expense National Defense Education Act Fellowship at Kansas University in Lawrence, Kansas where he graduated with a Ph.D in German in 1966. While a Fulbright carries more social and academic cache, the NDEA fellowship he chose carried a bigger purse. It was the obvious choice for him.

While in Kansas, he met Norma Lee Craven Nahrgang who was also attending university. They both lived in rooms in the same boarding house and were introduced by their landlord. He said meeting and marrying Norma, who was outgoing, beautiful, and vivacious, was an absolute blessing. Others said the pairing was unlikely, but he had won her heart. They were married in Osawatomie, Kansas, on May 2, 1964. It was at that point that his name changed from Wilbur Lee Nahrgang to W. Lee Nahrgang. They were married for nearly 35 years before Norma passed away in 1999.

Upon graduation from University of Kansas, Dr. W. Lee Nahrgang and Norma moved to Denton, TX, and he joined the faculty of University of North Texas called North Texas State University at the time. He ultimately attained the position of full Professor of German Language and Literature and participated and led various committees in the foreign languages department before retiring from UNT in 2005. While academically and professionally distinguished, he rarely introduced himself as "Dr." There was nothing inauthentic or boastful about him. He allowed students to call him "Mr." He said, "it doesn't matter if they call me Mr. or Dr., I'm the teacher and they're the student" as if to say the knowledge distribution and power dynamic were entrenched and the titles didn't really matter. Norma and W. Lee called Denton home for the remainder of their lives.

He rode his bike to work and carried his lunch in a reused brown paper sack. There was no reason to get a fresh paper sack when the same one used day after day still worked well enough to hold his lunch of baked sweet potato, cabbage, canned fish, and a slice of whole wheat bread.

It was in retirement that he was able to mix his hermit tendencies with his academic approach. Never straying too far from his old Fargone Nahrgang moniker, he was a frequent contributor to the Op-Ed section of the Denton Record Chronicle and let his opinions be known. He was also an institution in his neighborhood, tearing up the streets as he walked many miles over many years for both fitness and fellowship with his dear walking buddies. He always strove to help others, picking up newspapers for those in the neighborhood, and he waved to anyone and everyone that dared to drive past the man who walked the Northridge neighborhood wearing socks for gloves and whatever clothes his daughters gifted him for birthdays and Christmas. The final 20 years of his life he finely tuned to his unique wants, needs, and interests. He lived to walk and talk with his walking buddies; feed and love on his cat Calico; visit with his daughters; have nightly calls with his longtime partner and friend, Laurie MacLaren; enjoy his Wednesday night Bible study; and keep up with his incredibly intricate and precisely calibrated supplement routine. These were his peaceful simple routines in life that gave him immense happiness and joy.

He was thorough, loving, and a fierce supporter of his daughters, Holly Nahrgang Baylor and Julie Nahrgang. He was meticulous and had the work ethic and discipline of someone born into the great depression who achieved incredible academic success. He reminded all to treat others in the best possible way and to evaluate who they were as a person and not what group they were affiliated with. He was serious, funny, introspective, intelligent, and an all around caring, good human being. He lived the way he wanted, and he transitioned as he wanted. He often told anyone that listened, and even those that didn't, that he lived a blessed life. The way he could deconstruct what others would call a great loss, tragedy, or blow and find the good in it was one of his truly outstanding qualities.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Norma Lee Nahrgang; his parents, Alma and Henry Nahrgang; his Aunt, Selma Nahrgang; his grandmother Karoline Nahrgang; his mother and father in-law, Marvelle and Nolan Craven; his brother in-law Nolan Jr. "Bubba" Craven; and many other beloved family and friends.

He is survived by his daughters, Holly Ann Baylor Nahrgang and Julie Marie Nahrgang; daughter in-law, Jessica Braun; cousin, Bernadine Elliot; cousin, Kenny Lander; Calico Nahrgang, his beloved cat; and other family and friends including his partner, Laurie MacLaren.

For those of you that knew him, know that he counted each one of you as a blessing in his life, and know that he views the way in which he left this life a blessing as well. There is deep sadness with this blessing, but he is with his loved ones who went before him and eternally enjoying his simple peaceful pleasures.

The words below were penned by Lee about 5 years ago and sent to his daughters. His words will always be more polished than those others would be able to share about him:

I had wonderful parents.
I had success in school.
I had the love of a good, beautiful lady and then, after her death, the love of a second good, beautiful lady.
I raised two good, smart, beautiful daughters.
I had enough professional success to provide for my family and not to want in old age.
I've had few friends, but good ones.
Four people of my generation and my parents' generation depended on me, and I saw them all through their final months as best I could.
Through all of these life experiences I have not become bitter or ungrateful. Instead, I have learned a lot, and I like to think that I have become a better person. As an imperfect human being, I have failed again and again to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish in each of these life experiences. But I have muddled through, and what I have accomplished is good enough. Don't worry about me. I have arrived at a high level of contentment and am filled with immense gratitude for the gifts I have received.
In short, don't grieve for me. I had a good life filled with blessings, and I am now (after death) having new adventures and experiencing new blessings. – Dr. W. Lee Nahrgang

Dr. W. Lee Nahrgang's services will be held at 1 PM on October 11 at First Christian Church of Denton at 1203 Fulton Street. A visitation will be held at First Christian Church directly preceding the services from 12-1PM, and a fellowship hour with snacks after the services.

Donations can be made in W. Lee's name to Denton Animal Support Foundation, First Christian Church of Denton, or Doctors Without Borders.