Joseph Phillip Wingenbach's Obituary
Joseph Phillip Wingenbach, born November 9, 1939 and passed into Eternal Life on April 6, 2015. Although a native of Washington DC, his family moved south to Melrose just after World War II. From then on, a family member noted, "Joe was dyed-in-the-wool Floridian, leaving the state only the rare occasion elsewhere.
His father, Charles Edward Wingenbach, was a Spanish-American War veteran, while his mother Pearl A. (Stanton) Wingenbach - originally from West Virginia - was a "homemaker, part-time aspiring farmer, and a pioneer in organizing a Roman Catholic mission in the then-largely rural countryside."
After graduating from Melrose High School, Joe served overseas in the Army. Later, he became a lifelong lineman with the Gainesville Gas Company, and as time went on, he met, courted and wed "the love of my life", Beverly Monk. The two became the doting parents of Julie Ann, whose life was unhappily cut short by cystic fibrosis.
Nevertheless, Joe and Beverly (since deceased) came to take under their generous, loving wings 'adoptive' children, namely Leroy Miller (with former wife Susan), and Michael Miller, as well as their children, nieces and nephews and families.
Other decedent family: sisters, Mary (Gill) Bolding, Margaret (Gill) Olson, Virginia (Gill) Tuten, and Agnes (Gill) Rosano, niece, Lawanna (Riggin) Schuler and nephew Doug Tuten Jr.
Surviving family: elder brother Fr.Gregory Charles Wingenbach, sister, Lucille (Gill) Schuler.
Nieces and nephews: Warren Schuler, Mary-Adele (Wingenbach) Allison, Lt. Col. Karl Wingenbach (US Army Ret.), John Wingenbach, Evgenia K. (Wingenbach) Morgan, Kathleen (Ostrander) Gibson, Richard Ostrander and Alan Ostrander.
Funeral Services will be held Friday, April 17, 2015 at 11:00 a.m., in the chapel of WILLIAMS-THOMAS FUNERAL HOME HAWTHORNE, with Fr. Mike Williams of St. Williams Catholic Church presiding. Graveside rites will follow at the family plot in Melrose Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cystic Fibrosis Chapter, 788 Baymeadows Way (#200), Jacksonville, FL 32256 or potted flower plants, for cemetery plot.
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