John Wernecke

1948 - 2026

John Paul Wernecke, 77, of State College, passed away February 14th, 2026. He was born November 11th, 1948, in Slater, MO, the son of Wilmer H. and Janet E. (Glidden) Wernecke. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Bruce, and his wife, Paulette (Hartman) Wernecke, whom he married in 1978. He is survived by his children, Tracy and David, both of Chicago, IL. Also surviving are four brothers: Lance Wernecke of Cedar Rapids, IA; Eric Wernecke of Cedar Rapids, IA; Joel Wernecke of Gaithersburg, MD and Richard Wernecke of Berwyn, IL. He graduated from John Adams High School in Cleveland, OH in 1966, then from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, IA in 1970. He worked at The Cincinnati Inquirer before moving to State College, PA for a job with the Social Security Administration. He worked as a Claims Representative for Social Security, first in Lewistown and then in State College, retiring in 2019 after 44 years of service. He belonged to the Pine Grove Presbyterian Church, the Bellefonte Historical Railroad, and the Centre Region Model Investment Club. A loving husband and father, his generous heart and spirit will be greatly missed. A visitation will be held on Thursday, February 19th, at King-Barr Funeral Home, 120 Logan Street, Lewistown, from 6:00-8:00pm. Services will be Friday, February 20th at 11:00am at the Pine Grove Presbyterian Church, 150 W. Pine Grove Road in Pine Grove Mills, with the Rev. Carl Campbell officiating. Interment will follow at Mt. Rock Cemetery, Lewistown. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to John Hopkins Medicine or the Mt. Nittany Health Foundation.