HENRY WERNECKE (d. 1927)

Henry Wernecke Stricken Suddenly At Sault Ste Marie
WELL KNOWN BUSINESS MAN DIES ON TRIP
Was on Vaction With Relatives and Suffered Fatal Heart Attack Thursday Afternoon
A telephone message from Saulte(sic) Ste Marie at 4:30 yesterday afternoon
announced the death of Henry C. Wernecke, well known Manitowoc business man,
in a hospital in that city. News of the death came as a shock to relatives
and friends as word had been received during the morning that Mr. Wernecke
was feeling unusually well and enjoying his motor trip. The body will arrive
here tomorrow morning and the funeral will be held Monday afternoon from the
home on South Seventh street with services at 2 o'clock at the Lutheran church,
Rev. Machmiller officiating.
Left Monday for the Soo
Mr. and Mrs. Wernecke and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Schlei left here Monday morning
for a trip that was to take them into Canada and East. The (sic) expected to be
gone two weeks or more. The party arrived at Marquette Tuesday and visited at
the home of Rev. William Roepke, a nephew of Mr. and Mrs. Wernecke. They left
the Soo Wednesday morning arriving there that evening. Yesterday, Thursday,
morning, just before getting ready to cross the Soo Mr. Wernecke was taken with
a sudden attack of illness and a physician was called. He advised taking the
patient to the hospital for a rest.
At 11:46 a telegram was filed. It read, "Dad taken with one of his attacks.
Doctor advises hospital, cannot travel for a few days. Letter follows." This
was signed by Mrs. Wernecke and addressed to the daughter, Mrs. Hattie Toepel.
The message caused no alarm becuase Mr. Wernecke has suffered a number of
severe attacks and was subject to chronic heart trouble. At 4:30 a telephone
message advised that the end had come at the hospital only a short time before.
Body Arrives Tomorrow
Arrangements were completed to return the body to this city and it left the Soo
this noon in charge of Rev. William Roepke and will arrive here tomorrow morning.
Mrs. Wernecke and Mr. and Mrs. Schlei left for home early this morning and are
expected to arrive tonight, the distance being about 350 miles. They will be met
at Escanaba by a party from here.
Surviving Mr. Wernecke are the widow, two daughters, two sisters and six grand-
children. The children are Mrs. Hattie Toepel, who was making her home with her
parents and Mrs. Gerhardt Pieper of Baraboo. The sisters are Mrs. Herman Roepke
and Mrs. Charles Hoeffner, both of this city.
Prominent In City Affairs
The death of Mr. Wernecke removes from the city one of the best known business
men of the community, one who has been prominently identified in commercial
enterprises looking to the benefit of the city at large. He could always be found
at public meetings where affairs of civic welfare were being discussed and took
an active part in discussions where his counsel was always given consideration.
Perhaps his best known activity in Manitowoc was that of secretary of the board of
trustees of the county asylum. He was identified with thta (sic) institution for
many years and much of the business success of the asylum is due to his supervision.
In the history of Manitowoc county pioneers, the following is an account of the
Wernecke family, with the deceased as the central figure. The compilation is by
Louis Falge.
"Henry Wernecke, engaged in the hardware business at the corner of Eighth and
Washington streets this city, was a well known figure in business circles of this
city and all his life has been identified with the public life of this section.
He was born in Manitowoc County, October 15, 1862 and was a son of Carl and
Wilhelmina (Steinford) Wernecke. Andrew Wernecke, the grandfather was born in
Germany and brought his family to the United States in 1848 settling on wild land
in Newton township, Manitowoc county, where during the years that followed he
suffered all the hardship and privations of the early pioneers. He continued to
farm this property until his death, after which it was taken charge of by his son,
Carl, who also spent his life here and died in 1886. Carl Wernecke married
Wilhelmina Steinford, who came to the United States in 1849 with two sisters. She
died in 1872. She was the mother of ten children.
Normal School Graduate
Henry Wernecke received a public and normal school education and after completing
his studies engaged in school teaching for fourteen years, during the last three
years of which he was also engaged in farming. In 1894, in partnership with
Herman A. Schmitz, he bought property at the corner of Eighth and Washington streets
and established the hardware business which they are still conducting. They built a
three-story brick structure, fifty-seven and a half by one hundred feet. The partners
are both able business men and their venture has been a success from the start.
Married in 1887
In 1887 Mr. Wernecke was married to Bertha Schmitz, a daughter of Carl Schmitz and
to them two daughters were born, namely, Hattie and Bertha. The family hold member-
ship in the Lutheran church and in 1912 was elected president of the congregation.
He is also a member of the board of Lutheran schools and was one of the first
members of the board of education in Manitowoc. For four successive terms he was
elected without opposition as trustee of the County Asylum for Insane and for three
years served as secretary of the State Association of Trustees and Superintendents
of County Asylums for the Insane in the state of Wisconsin."
Manitowoc Herald News, Friday, August 12, 1927 P.1
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BODY OF HENRY WERNECKE HOME TODAY FOR BURIAL
The body of Henry Wernecke, whose sudden death at Sault Ste. Marie Thursday
while on a motor trip was a great shock, arrived in the city on the North
Western limited this morning and is at the home on So. Seventh street. Funeral
services will be held Monday afternoon at 1:30 from the home to the German
Lutheran church at 2 o'clock, the Rev. Karl Machmiller officiating.
The death of Mr. Wernecke was wholly unexpected and received with regret by
the community where he was so widely known.
Manitowoc Herald News, Saturday, August 13, 1927 P. 2
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[bur. 8-15-1927/age 64 yr/cause: cerebral apoplexy/place of death: Sault Ste. Marie, MI]