His wife died in 1996 of a stroke. Wassmer was given the Michael O. Leavitt Governor's award in 2000. He also wrote his own biography, entitled "Color, the Catalyst." February 23 was pronounced Theodore Wassmer Day in Utah in 2005 by Jon Huntsman Jr., a Utah governor, and Ross C. Anderson, Utah mayor. He died on November 26, 2006 in a Salt Lake City nursing home. During his lifetime, he produced over 2,000 works of art including paintings, watercolors, and sketches that are displayed in museums. Because of the paralysis in his arm, Wassmer could not paint large canvases. His works from before World War II are signed "Milton Wassmer." After returning from the war, he signed "T. Milton Wassmer," and after 1946 he just signed his last name.