Wiliam "Bill" Wenter, 85

MILFORD - William "Bill" Wenter of Milford died Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, in the new Delaware Veterans Home, Milford. He was 85.

Mr. Wenter was born Feb. 10, 1922, in Kendall, W.Va., son of the late Michael and Anna (Kiss) Wenter.

His family later moved to Flemington, W.Va., where he graduated from Flemington High School with the class of 1941. Having lost his father in a coal-mining accident at the age of 3, he decided not to follow in father"s footsteps in the coal-mining industry, so, after high-school graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the U.S. Air Force.

Mr. Wenter served his country during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. He worked hard and with dedication and rose to the rank of chief master sergeant, which, at the time, was the highest rank in the U.S. Air Force for a noncommissioned officer. He retired from the Air Force May 1, 1965, as a member of the 1607th Field Maintenance Squadron at Dover Air Force Base.

After retirement from the military, he accepted employment with Service Energy Co. in Milford as a maintenance technician, from where he retired fully after almost 20 years with the company.

He owned a wide variety of tools and, together with his very skilled hands, applied his talents to his love for woodworking. He also enjoyed fishing in his spare time.

Mr. Wenter was a former member of the Milford Lions Club and a member of St. John"s Roman Catholic Church, Milford.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife of 37 years, Elizabeth "Lib" Wenter, in 2000; three brothers, John Wenter, Joseph Wenter and Michael Wenter Jr.; and a sister, Magdalene "Maggie" Griffith.

He is survived by three sisters-in-law, Tomi Wenter of Dover, Ruth Ann Sammon of Winter Park, Fla., and Dorothy Billings, and her husband, Herschel, of Milford; a brother-in-law, Jack Robinson of Pennsylvania; his caregiver and niece, Joyce Voshell, and her husband, Bob, of Milford; three additional nieces, Carolyn Grelich of White Stone, Va., Norita Griffith of Baltimore and Dody Sapp of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; two nephews, John S. Wenter of Parachute, Colo., and Duke Holbart of Wallace, Idaho; and many other nieces and nephews.

Services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday in Rogers Funeral Home, 301 Lakeview Ave., Milford, where friends may call one hour earlier.

Burial with military honors will be in Milford Community Cemetery.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Milford Lions Club, P.O. Box 25, Milford, DE 19963.