Lorraine Wenger

Lorraine (Wilger) Wenger passed away on December 16, 2021 at 11:00 p.m. while holding the hand of her son, Lee, and granddaughter Becky, pain free and at peace with the Lord. On December 20, 1927, Lorraine was born on a cold cabin floor of the poor Wilger family farm in Port Washington, Wisconsin. As the middle child of five, she was a brunette in a family of red heads. After the death of a younger brother and the beginning of the Great Depression, Lorraine was taken by the hand of her older sister, Dorothy, to enter into St. Rose’s Orphanage on Milwaukee’s East side, where they both would be raised by Catholic Nuns - Daughters of Charity. Upon turning age 15, Lorraine spent time living with Dorothy and occasionally with her parents that moved into an upper duplex located on Winnebago St. in Milwaukee. It is at this duplex where she met her husband, LeRoy, who was living in the lower flat with his parents and ten siblings after his return from Army service in WWII. Married in 1947, Leroy & Lorraine eventually settled in St. Francis, WI, where they raised six boys. As a homemaker, Lorraine was a loving, caring, and humble Mom who taught her children The Golden Rule and to have a zest for life. As an avid card and board game player, Lorraine passed this love of play to her many descendants. As a baseball catcher in the orphanage, Lorraine enjoyed sports as a fan, encouraged her sons to participate, and attended their games. Coming full-circle in life, Lorraine spent the last few years in the care of nuns at St. Ann Rest Home on Milwaukee’s near south side. Lorraine prayed the rosary every day of her life until she could no longer remember the words. As dementia took a toll, Lorraine continued to have a joyful disposition and a loving kindness to her family and caretakers. Lorraine’s beloved husband LeRoy, passed away in 1994 and her loyal sister, Dorothy, passed away in 2014. Also preceding her in death were a sister, Betty, and two brothers, Donald and Lloyd, grandson Ben Wenger, and numerous cousins and in-laws. Lorraine is survived by her six boys, Larry (Kathy), Lee (Sharon), John (Debbie), Bill, Jim (Barb), and Jack (Mona). Grandchildren, Nicole (Deron) Ledford, Jenny (Jay) Campbell, Tyson (Katie) Wenger, Wylie Wenger, Jesse (Larry) Horowitz, Becky (Kyle) Sparks, Amy (Ben) Mueller, Jason Wenger, Rhonda (Jonathan) Jones and Erik (Amber) Wenger. Great-Grandchildren, Tyler, Zachary, and Mason Ledford, Julianna and Joelle Campbell, Rylee and Lucas Wenger, Eva and Nathaniel Horowitz, George and Eleanor Mueller, Madison and Analyss Del Boccio, Marshall, Hudson, and Dawson Wenger. Also survived by brother-in-law Stanley Wenger, and sister-in-law, Patricia Miszewski, four spouses of LeRoy’s siblings: Anne Wenger, Ed Nieskes, Herb Onasch, and Elaine Wenger. Also surviving is the Best Man at her wedding, William Roots. Lorraine will also be missed by numerous nieces, nephews, and friends. Lorraine enters into her Eternal Life with a Funeral Mass at St. Casmir Roman Catholic Church, located at 2600 N Bremen St, Milwaukee, WI 53212, on January 18, 2022, at 9:00 a.m., to be followed by blessing and burial of her ashes alongside her husband, LeRoy, at Wood National Cemetery, located at 5000 W National Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53295, Section M, site 144. Following the burial, a luncheon for family and friends to celebrate Lorraine’s life will be at Botanos Restaurant, located at 816 S 5th St, Milwaukee, WI 53204 at 12:30 p.m.