Allen Wangemann

Allen August Wangemann, age 86, entered into eternal life on Saturday, December 6, 2014 at Terrace Place where he had been a resident since April. Allen was born on December 27, 1927 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin to Elmer and Muriel (Groenzin) Wangemann. During his childhood, he was a member of the Sheboygan Turners Gymnastics organization. He graduated from Central High School in 1945. That same year, during World War II, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served as a medical corpsman until 1948. He continued serving his country as a U.S. Navy Reservist from 1948-1952. During this time he was called back to active duty during the Korean War. He married the love of his life, Jeanette I. Neumann, on June 9, 1956 at St. Peter Evangelical and Reformed Church in Kiel, Wisconsin. They spent their 58 years of marriage residing in Sheboygan. Together, they had three daughters: Lori, Vicki and Kristi. Upon his honorable discharge, he finished his studies at Mission House College, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 1955. During his college years, he was an active member of the Mu Lambda Sigma Fraternity serving as Vice President. He later earned his Master of Arts degree at the University of South Dakota in 1962 and his Master of Science degree from the University of North Dakota in 1964. He became a member of the faculty of Lakeland College in 1956. During his years as a professor at Lakeland, he did additional work in Clinical Microbiology at UW-Madison, Marquette University, Mayo Brothers Clinic in Minnesota, and studied Parasitology at the Bethesda (MD) Medical Center. He teamed-up with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. to research parasitic diseases in mummy tissue. He received his honorary doctorate degree from Lakeland in 1981. After 42 years of serving as a professor of Biology, Medical Technology, Nursing, Anthropology and Archeology, he retired in 1997 and was given the title of Professor Emeritus by the Lakeland Board of Trustees. He loved being at Lakeland College (Mission House) and interacting with the students. His favorite courses to teach were Natural Sciences I and II in which he taught Bronowski's Accent of Man. He was proud to serve as the Natural Sciences' Division Chair for a number of years and enjoyed the faculty and staff he worked with. After his retirement he served as curator of the College's Catherine Krueger Museum until 2007 when his health would no longer allow him to continue. Allen loved learning and took a special interest in World War II and Native American history. Al and Jeanette enjoyed the opportunities they had to travel to South Dakota, Washington D.C., Egypt and Europe. In later years, they went on bus trips with the Men of Harmony to hear gospel music. He was involved in the creation of Maywood Environmental Park, and was active with the Sheboygan County Museum where he was often found in the log cabin during many History Adventure Weekends. Al and Jeanette also loved spending time with their four granddaughters and attending their activities. He was very proud of all them for the caring and intelligent women they became. Allen was a member of Ebenezer United Church of Christ in Sheboygan where he served on the Consistory and as a teacher for the Adult Bible Class. He was also involved in the Sheboygan Optimist Club, and worked backstage running lights for the Sheboygan Theatre Company. Allen is survived by his ever-devoted wife, Jeanette; his three daughters Lori (Kurt) January of Cheverly, MD, Vicki Kulhanek (finance Mark Krueger) of Sheboygan and Kristi (Richard) Vogel of Howards Grove. He is further survived by his wonderful grandchildren Desiree January, Tiffany (Solomon) Stoddard, Nicole Kulhanek and Morgan Kulhanek. He was elated to hear he would become a great-grandfather in 2015. He was preceded in death by his parents and parent-in-laws Rudolph and Minnie Neumann. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations being made to the Allen and Jeanette Wangemann Scholarship at Lakeland College, and Ebenezer United Church of Christ. The family would like to thank the caregivers at Terrace Place Assistant Living and Embrace Care Management. You helped him smile and laugh through the tough times. Your compassion will never be forgotten. We would also like to thank Beth and Ross Stanley for their kind hearts and help throughout the years. A funeral service for Allen will be held on Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at Ebenezer United Church of Christ (3215 Saemann Avenue, Sheboygan) with the Rev. Dr. Roger Mealiff officiating. Friends may call on Thursday, at the church, from 4:00 p.m. until the time of service. Interment will be at Eaton Cemetery, Kiel.