Donald Wendel

1929 - 2025

Donald Nathanael Wendel - born May 21, 1929, a second-generation Norwe-gian Swede, at Hinsdale San-itarium, to Nathanael and Anna Johanna Wendel (of
Wendel's Sheet Metal Works, 1st street in Hinsdale Ill., circ. 1906+) - passed on June 28 with family at his side.
Don grew up in Hinsdale and continued on to the GM Institute, now Kettering Uni-versity, completing his mas-ters in industrial engineering.
He served in the Navy dur-ing the Korean War, then joined the Army in order to be part of the White Sands Project.
Don worked briefly for General Motors, Electromo-tive Division (hatching a life-long love of trains),
then Quaker Oats: beginning with the plant in Cedar Rap-ids, Iowa and then transfer-ring to Chicago's Merchan-dise Mart. He loved his Quaker job and the people he worked with, retiring in 1985.
Up into their 70s, Don and his wife Ruth remained very
active together, hatching seeming-impossible plans: kicking off their retirement by bicycling across America at 55 years of age, Chicago to St. Louis a few times, as well as through Europe mul-tiple times (just to name a few). They hiked 150 miles of the Appalachian Trail in their 60s and backpacked numerous mountain ranges with Boy Scouts.
Both Don and Ruth loved helping people: they were scout leaders to many troops, volunteered for two years with MMAPS in the 1980s and participated in 36 Habitat for Humanity builds nationally and international-ly.
During 12 years of his re-tirement, while living in Ar-kansas in the log cabin he and Ruth had built together, Don had a "business" he called Bent Nail. He was willing to try to fix anything, not charging for any of it, rather receiving garden vege-tables for his services.
He loved live opera and fancied himself a big band drummer. His creativity real-ly shone through his photog-raphy, lapidary, silver work and woodcarving.
Don's Viking spirit ener-gized him to the end: chal-lenging himself to be the last known surviving member of his 1948 high school gradu-ating class.
As a participant in a few
church men's groups, he at-tended in person until driving was no longer an option.
"Can't" was not in his vo-cabulary; he found his way around Zoom and took great joy in having contact with people, calling contemporar-ies as well as younger friends frequently, often on a daily basis.
I will miss his daily hearing
aid function test." How far to the moon?" - a reminder to remain curious and open to a world full of wonders and to "Do the very best you can, where you are, with what you've got."
Don was preceded in death by Ruth (Riggs), his wife of 57 years (2016), and a son, Russell (2022). He leaves behind his brother, John (Grace) Wendel; three daughters: Barb, Sally and Amy; two sons: Gary and Nathan; 11 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.
Sharing of life, memories and stories: Sept. 13 at 10:30 a.m. at Hinsdale Covenant
Church, 412 S Garfield St., Hinsdale, Ill.
Don requested memorial
gifts be made to NPR (WBEZ Chicago) and the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Ill. Arrangements by Brian Powell Funeral Directors of Hinsdale. For more infor-mation, phone (630) 703-9131 or go to www.powellfuneraldirectors.
com.