Marion Wenger

Marion Roy Wenger, 91, was born at home in Dunlap, Indiana on March 25, 1932.

On July 28, 2023 he fell in his home and broke his leg. After surgery and rehab, he was very motivated to get better and things seemed to be going in the right direction. However, his body began having difficulties recovering, and on Thursday, August 31, he made the brave decision that it was time for him to move on from this world to the next. He died peacefully on September 21.

He is preceded in death by his wife Fran Wenger; his father, John Wenger; his mother, Mary Wenger; his brother John Robert Wenger (and his wife Isabelle Wenger); his brother Richard Wenger (and his wife Doris Wenger); and his brother Walter Wenger.

Surviving him are his sister-in-law, Shirley Wenger; his son Mark Wenger, Mark’s two children Holly and Coel, and Holly’s two children Leana and Zaiden; his son Joel Wenger and daughter-in-law Julie Wenger, and their five children, Lindy, Adam, Elijah, Hayden, Meleah; his daughter Maria Wenger; and many loving nieces and nephews.

Marion was known by several other names in his lifetime. In second grade he adopted the nickname Buck, but couldn’t convince those who knew him to use it, much to his disappointment. When he and his wife led a group of students on a study-service trip to Nicaragua he adopted the nickname Mario, in order to avoid confusion with a local’s similar name. Mario is a name that stuck and he used it throughout the rest of his life, sometimes with the variations Super Mario and Mr. Mario.

Mario was a deep intellectual thinker, and a curious learner. As a young boy he would while away hours reading encyclopedia entries and a book series with titles like How to Learn Swedish and How to Learn Russian. He grew up in a family of modest means, but they were avid readers and encouraged education. In 1952 he began serving an Alternative Service term with MCC PAX in Germany, building houses for refugees of WWII. It was there that he made deep and lasting friendships, and also developed a love of German and other languages. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree at Goshen College 1958, a Master’s Degree at Ohio State University in 1967, and a PhD at Ohio State University in 1969. He had a passion for and skills in language learning, and was eager to learn of the connections among them. It wasn’t long before he could converse in French, Spanish, German, and Russian. He also liked to delight others with his ability to speak in various dialects of German. He began teaching German and Linguistics at Goshen College in 1963, and remained active there until 1988. A highlight of his career were the two years (1974-76) his family lived in Accra, Ghana, where he worked with United Bible Societies.

While working at Goshen College, he met a spirited young nursing professor named Anna Frances “Fran” Zimmerman of Blue Ball, Pennsylvania, and they fell in love. They married on August 7, 1965 in Goshen. They adopted their oldest son Mark in 1968, younger son Joel was adopted in 1971, and daughter Maria was born in 1972. They were both delighted with the later addition of seven delightful grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

In his retirement years, Mario maintained an active and what he called a “vibrant” lifestyle. He worked on projects, drew sketches, turned his mind to clever inventions, spent time with friends, made music and attended music performances, and continued learning in LifeLong Learning classes. Goshenites may fondly remember Mario as a keen car enthusiast, and may have spotted him tooling around town or jazzing up parades in his classic 1956 red Porsche roadster, or alternatively, in his black Thunderbird. His dry sense of humor likely won over and endeared him to many who encountered him over his lifetime. His goal in his later years was oft repeated by him: I am not trying to live the most number of years, I am trying to live the best kind of years. He always hoped and prayed for a ‘good death,’ one that did not involve prolonged suffering, and everyone who loves him is overjoyed that he got that gift.

A Memorial Celebration of Life will take place at College Mennonite Church on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 11:00 am, followed by a light meal and sharing. Visitation will be from 2:00-4:00 pm and 6:00-8:00 pm on Friday, October 20. Memorial donations may be directed to Mennonite Central Committee, https://mcc.org/ ; College Mennonite Church, https://collegemennonite.org/give ; and/or  Goshen College (Fran Wenger Nursing Scholarship) https://www.goshen.edu/ . Yoder-Culp Funeral Home is handling arrangements.