Mark F. Hengel, 91, died Sunday at home in Kansas City after a brief illness. Hengel was born October 25, 1921, to Albert Henry Hengel and Elsie Staudenmeyer Hengel in Pierre, SD. He was preceded in death by his wife, Agnes, who died in September 2012. They had been married 62 years at the time of her death. A mechanical engineer by profession, Hengel was a railroader, a career which began in 1950 in Danville, Ill., working on the track gang for the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad, which later merged with the Missouri Pacific. He retired in 1986 in St. Louis as head of the mechanical engineering department for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. As an engineer, he designed freight cars of every kind and oversaw their production. An exceptional craftsman and master mechanic, Hengel frequently amazed his family and friends with his ability to repair motors and build or fix almost anything. The first home that he and Agnes owned was one he built himself. Working evenings, weekends and vacations, it took him two years to finish the three- bedroom home from ground breaking in 1958 to completion in 1960. Hengel was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served in the 379th combat regiment with the 95th Infantry Division. The 95th was assigned at different times to the 12th and Third armies and encountered 151 days of combat during 1944-45 in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, including the Battle of the Bulge. Hengel's only brother, Robert, was killed in November 1944 in the Pacific when the B-24 in which he was the bombardier was shot down over the Negros Islands. After being discharged in 1945, Hengel used his military benefits from the G.I. Bill program to re-enroll at the University of Notre Dame, where he had completed one year before the war. He graduated in 1950 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Hengel is survived by five children, Robert of Houston; James of Kansas City; Michael of Las Vegas; Josephine of Columbia and Teresa of St. Louis. A sixth child, Sharon, died in 2007; and eight grandchildren. A sister, Nancy Hengel, died in 1989. Visitation will be 7- 8 p.m., Thursday at Isburg Funeral Home in Pierre. A funeral Mass is set for 10 a.m., Friday, March 15, at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church followed by burial at Calvary Cemetery in Pierre, and a brief luncheon afterward at the church. The family prefers contributions to the
. To leave a message for the family, please visit www.Penwellgabelolathe.com
Published in Kansas City Star on March 13, 2013
