William D. Wendt

William D. Wendt

Whiteland, died on Saturday, October 6, at St. Francis Hospital, in Indianapolis. Mr. Wendt was born on Nov. 14, 1923, in Chicago, IL, the son of Henry and Mia Hildegard (Johnson) Wendt. He graduated from high school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1942. He was drafted into military service in 1943 and served during World War II as a military policeman, stationed in Detroit, MI. He was discharged in 1945 and enrolled at Hanover College that year, where he met his future wife, Mary Carolyn Sharp. After their graduation from Hanover, they were married in Whiteland on August 21, 1949. He received his master's degree from Butler University in 1957.

Mr. Wendt began his teaching career at Nineveh High School in 1950 and then taught at Whiteland High School from 1957-1959. He also taught typing at Camp Atterbury to student soldiers. He was the principal at Clark School, from 1959 until his retirement in 1984. After his retirement from Clark, he served on the school board for the Clark-Pleasant School Corporation for four years.

Mr. Wendt was a longtime member of Kiwanis International at the local level and also as the lieutenant governor for both the Heartland and Circle City Divisions. He was a past president of the Johnson County Retired Teachers Association and a member of the Indiana State Teachers' Association, the Whiteland Jubilee Lodge #746 F. & A.M., Scottish Rite, Sigma Chi Fraternity, and Phi Delta Kappa. Mr. Wendt had been a member of the Bethany Presbyterian Church in Whiteland and more recently, Community Congregational Church in multiple leadership roles and as a member of the choir.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Carolyn Sharp Wendt and his four children Julia (Jim) Nixon of Kendallville, IN; Susan Roberts of Raleigh, NC; Ellen (Tim) Grogan of Melbourne, FL; and Dan (Connie) Wendt, of Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Laura Nixon, Washington, DC; Becky Nixon (John Darragh), Chicago, IL; Heather (Nathan) Eley and Jocelyn (Brad) Bellflower, both of Melbourne, FL; Capt. Andrew (Lindsay) Grogan, currently serving in Afghanistan; and Jonathan, Andrew, William, and Daniel Wendt, all of Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by six great-grandchildren: Benjamin, Audrey, Charlotte, and Jonah Eley and Evan and Hailey Bellflower, all of Melbourne, FL, and also several nieces and nephews.

Mr. Wendt was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, a sister, and a great-grandson, Joshua Eley.

Calling is from 2 to 8 p.m., Thursday, October 11, at Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service & Crematory, Vandivier-Tudor Chapel , 951 N. Main St., Franklin, IN. Services will be at Community Congregational Church, 4592 N. Hurricane Road, Franklin, IN, at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 12. Burial will follow at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens. Memorials may be made to the Community Congregational Church.

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