Raymond M. Wenninger, age 81, passed peacefully, accompanied by his closest loved ones at The Waterford at Plymouth in Plymouth, WI on May 26, 2020.
Ray was born to Anton and Mary (Volk) Wenninger on their farm in Herreid, South Dakota on November 28, 1938, where he was raised with his sister, Florentina (Flo), and brothers Jerome (Jerry), Lloyd, and Floyd. He learned the value of hard work during this time and carried that with him throughout life. Around 1950, Anton relocated the family to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Ray attended and graduated from Boys Tech High School in 1957. His nickname was “Ringo”, and he was a guitarist in both a three-piece and quartet band, playing dances for local churches. He also worked as a draftsman at Koerper Engineering in Milwaukee. It was during his high school years that he met, and later married Shirley Achtor, whom he had 4 children with; two daughters, Bonnie and Dawn, and two sons, Allen and Craig. Ray later met a special friend in the late Myrna Lipp of Sheboygan, WI, whom he also had a son, Scott. Later yet, Ray had one other son, Troy, with the late Margie Mae Erickson of Milwaukee, WI, whom he spent 10+ years with prior to her passing. Ray held several jobs before finally settling on a career as a Property Manager and Maintenance Specialist for James L Callan, Inc, as well as operating a handy-man business in his spare time, working throughout the Milwaukee area. He retired in 2011.
Ray enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. in 1958, where he proudly served until 1963. He was honorably discharged and transitioned to the Marine Corps Reserve with a rank of Sergeant E-5. He received training at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, CA, and served in the Military Police in California. Off-shore, he was stationed at Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa to be near the brewing Vietnam conflict, visiting Japan, Korea, and Vietnam during that time. He spent time aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk as a machine gunner. Towards the end of his time in the USMC, he crossed the Panama Canal headed to Cuba during the missile crisis, which was called off at the 11th hour as they geared up for invasion. Ray was a Marine, through and through.
Ray was an avid and successful hunter and greatly enjoyed spending time with his family and friends at the cabin in Silver Cliff, WI where many special memories were made. He was an expert marksman who shot competitive musket for sport during his youth. Ray was also an excellent and decorated pool player that regularly enjoyed ‘giving lessons’ to anyone that cared to play him, and successfully operated a large pool league in the greater Milwaukee area for several years. In retirement, he will be remembered for his fondness of gardening, specifically tending to his prized and loved rosebush at his home in Sheboygan, WI, which he would happily show pictures of to anyone he considered a friend. He was a social butterfly that will be greatly missed by many neighbors, friends, associates, family, and greatly missed by his children that spent valuable time with him.
Ray is survived by his four son’s Troy (Jenni) Erickson, Allen Wenninger, Craig Wenninger, Scott Lipp, two daughter’s Bonnie Lilley, and Dawn Roehm, and several grandchildren, including Lucille and Jett who loved Grandpa very much, as well as brother’s Jerome (Ingrid) Wenninger, Lloyd (Josephine) Wenninger, and Floyd (Janet) Wenninger. He is further survived by nieces, nephews, stepchildren, other relatives and many friends. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister Florentina.
Private family services for Ray will take place with interment at Lutheran Cemetery.
If you still are fortunate enough to have a parent in your life, hug them and tell them how much you love them. Every day you get older, so do they. They fade. Look at the hands that used to hold you and understand they are the same hands that picked you up when you fell, fed you when you couldn’t feed yourself, showed you how to do something you had never done. Listen to the words, no matter if they make sense or not anymore, and understand that is the same voice that woke you in the morning, scolded you when you deserved it, and encouraged you when you wanted to quit. Look at the eyes, whether they look back at or through you now, and remember they are the same eyes that watched your greatest moments with pride, saw in you what you couldn’t see, and cried with you when the worst happened. Look at the gray hair and remember it before it was that color, and know it is the same hair from your photos and memories. Look at the weathered face and know that it was earned through a lifetime of achievement and experience before you even walked this earth, and if you still can, ask as many questions about those experiences as possible. It’s the most interesting and relevant story you will ever hear.
Love your parents. They are finite and you will never find that kind of love anywhere else.
The Olson Funeral Home & Cremation Service has been entrusted with Ray's arrangements.
