Saturday, October 28, 2017

Dorchester's Bill Wenz Passes At 65


Dorchester's William "Bill" Michael Wenz passed on October 25, 2017.   Services were Monday, Oct. 30, at Kuncl Funeral Home in Crete. He was 65.

Bill passed away at his home in Dorchester from an apparent heart attack. He was born on the 6th day of May, 1952 to William F. Wenz and Jane Anne (Timothy) Wenz in Fort Riley Kansas where his father was stationed while serving during the Korean War. Bill was the second of eight children.

Bill attended Eight Mile Grove, a K-8 country school in Cass County until the family moved to the Seven Oaks Farm east of Union where he and his siblings attended the Nehawka School District. There he participated in football for 4 years and basketball for one year, attaining All Conference status as an offensive lineman his senior year. He also enjoyed his involvement in several all school music productions including “Lil Abner” and “Oklahoma”. He graduated from Nehawka High School in 1970.

Bill married Shannon Colleen Anderson on September 27, 1974, at the United Methodist Church in Milford, Ne. First residing in Plattsmouth, the couple then moved to Friend where they raised their daughter Sarah. Upon purchasing the first of two houses in Dorchester, the Bill Wenz family called this town their home .

Bill Jr. spent most of his working career working with his father in the rendering business both at Aaron Corp in Omaha, and then later helping build Midland By-Products into a regionally recognized rendering facility. Bill learned his mechanical crafts from the ground level up as a maintenance man and then as a foreman for several years before being promoted to the position of vice-president of the company, a position he held until the facility was sold in 1994. Bill managed another rendering facility in Booker, Texas, commuting regularly from his home in Dorchester. 

Bill will be remembered as an avid hunter, regularly organizing hunting parties for family and friends. He was a gun and coin collector, enjoyed fishing, golf and was a skilled carpenter. He immersed himself into whatever his current interest was and remained committed to the endeavor until he had mastered it. His varied interests were only exceeded by his willingness to lend a hand to others. If there were tasks to be done or needs to be met, a simple phone call would be sufficient to send him running with tools in hand. Bill kept no ledger. If you needed assistance, he would help. It was really that simple.

William M. Wenz is survived by his daughter Sarah Wenz-Shrestha of McCook, his dear companion, Teresa Salinger of Plattsmouth, his siblings Kathleen (Curt McKean) Wenz of Omaha, James (Mary) Wenz of Roca, Douglas (Deborah) Wenz of Crete, Laura (Gary) Gammel of Crete, Jeffrey (Tammy) Wenz of Crete and Shari (Richard) Tretheway of Lincoln. Bill also has fourteen nieces and nephews who all held a very special place in his heart. He was preceded in death by his mother, Jane Wenz, father, William F. Wenz, his wife, Shannon, and his brother Timothy Wenz.

Bill's wit, his telling of tales, (some fairly tall, to be sure!), his generosity and his humor will be sorely missed by his many close friends, by his family and by some simply gathered to share weekday morning coffee.

For the online obituary or to leave your condolences, click here.

1 comment:

  1. great guy! always enjoyed every visit with him!

    ReplyDelete

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