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Ruthelma Benjamin Wankel-Fricke
1924 - 2020
BORN
1924
DIED
2020
Ruthelma Wankel-Fricke Obituary
Petersburg, IL—Ruthelma Benjamin Wankel-Fricke, 95, of Petersburg, Illinois passed away on Saturday, March 29, 2020.
She was born on March 2, 1924, in Ashland, Illinois, to Dr. Walter Benjamin and Mildred Jones Benjamin. She married Raymond Wankel on June 9, 1946, in Ashland, Illinois. In 2006, she married Norman E. Fricke of Petersburg, Illinois.
Ruthelma is survived by her two children, Marilyn Wankel (Tim) of Blandinsville, Illinois and Mark Wankel (Anita) of Pleasant Plains, Illinois, and her husband Norman Fricke of Petersburg. In addition to her children, she is survived by five grandchildren, eight great grandchildren and three step-children, Mike (Jeanne) Fricke, Jeff (Karen) Fricke and Kathy (Ron) Ruppell, all of Petersburg, plus their seven grandchildren.
Her husband Raymond Wankel, her parents, and her three brothers preceded her death.
Services will be held at the Tallula Christian Church on Saturday, March 7, 2020, at 2 pm. Burial will be in the Tallula Greenwood Cemetery immediately following the service. Following the services a Celebration of Life will be held at 5 pm at Wankel's, 18239 Kelly Rd. Petersburg, IL 62675.
Memorial contributions can be given to the Petersburg Rural Fire department and the Menard County Fair association.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Ruthelma Wankel-Fricke
3 Entries
Frank Washington
February 25, 2023
Mrs Wankel was one of the finest human beings to walk this earth. While I was in school she always greeted me and gave extra advice to help me succeed. I would not be the person I am today without her in my life. Thank you to her parents, family, children and all that supported her!
Frank Washington
May 15, 2020
Mrs Wankel taught me English, friendship and kindness! When I was in the hospital she came to help me with my lessons and I will love her all my life and beyond!
David Turner
March 7, 2020
The historian Henry Adams said, "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." That would most certainly be true for Ruthelma. There will be parents talking to their children and grandparents talking to their grandchildren and the conversations will begin with, "I had this great teacher once," and they will tell a story about Ruthelma's influence on their lives. Her greatest influence, however, was with the many young teachers that she mentored and the high personal and professional standards she set for them simply by the way she worked and lived her life. I had the great good fortune to work with Ruthelma for nearly two decades and have many good memories, but perhaps the most lasting and most telling is from when I visited with her recently and we talked about our time at PORTA. As I was leaving, she took my hand, smiled and said, "We had fun didn't we." Yes, Ruthelma, we did.
David Turner
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