Oliver J. Wendel

Oliver ”Ollie” Joseph Wendel passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Friday, June 28. He was a quiet, gentle soul who would do anything for his family and selflessly served his community. Ollie is survived by Ruth (Rinderle), the love of his life, after sharing nearly 62 years of marriage. He is also survived by their children, Lora Rutschilling (Roger), Bill Wendel (Heather Romer), and Diane Wendel; his grandchildren Sara Hunter (Anthony), Emily Thobe (Grant), Jacob Rutschilling (Jessica Bergdall), Sam (Mayyah McTaggart), Casey Wendel, and Grace Wendel; and his great grandchildren Clare, Gabriel, Marcellina, Felicity, and Hunter. He is also survived by his brother Bob Wendel, sisters Annie Lochtefeld (Willie) and Mary Jean Evers (John), as well as sisters-in-law Margaret (Brunswick) Rinderle, Nancy (Spear) Rinderle, Jane (Rinderle) Clune, Mary (Rinderle) Clune, Pat (Rinderle) Kaiser (Karl). He was preceded in death by his parents, Aloys and Armella (Kramer) Wendel, his brothers John Wendel and Tom Wendel, his sisters-in-law Mary Ann (Fiely) Wendel and Ann (Rinderle) Evers, his brothers-in-law Owen Rinderle, Dan Rinderle, Gene Evers, Ken Clune, and Lavern Clune. He was born May 14, 1936, in a log home near Sharpsburg, Ohio and spent his youth on the Wendel family farm on Mercer-Darke County Line Road. Despite being at the top of his class, he quit school after 10th grade as he was expected to work to help support the family. And at age 16 he went to work at New Idea and a local tile business. In 1954 he joined the Army and completed basic training at Fort Knox, KY. He shared rides to and from Fort Knox with Owen Rinderle, a fellow Mercer Countian who was stationed there. Unbeknownst to either of them, they would later become brothers-in-law. He went to Army training school in Fort Benning, GA (now called Fort Moore) and was trained to be an air traffic controller. After graduation, he was stationed at Fort Meade Army Airbase in Maryland where he worked in the flight tower. After his service in the Army, he worked at Monarch Lathes in Sidney where he rented a room in exchange for yard and housework. While working and living in Sidney, even though he had earned his GED in the Army, he drove back and forth to Fort Recovery High School where he took regular classes and graduated with a full high school diploma. He eventually got a job at Mersman's and moved back home again. In 1960, he met Ruth Rinderle at a dance at the Eldora Speedway Ballroom. They married in 1962 and remained happily married for nearly 62 years. He was never shy about holding her hand or sneaking kisses. The love and devotion Ollie and Ruth have for each other is an inspiration to those that know them. Ollie and Ruth welcomed their children Lora in 1964, Bill in 1968, and Diane in 1971. Ollie valued education and was proud to have raised three children who were part of the first generation in the extended family to go to college, all three graduated of the University of Dayton. He worked at Mersman's for 30+ years, mostly as Supervisor of the rough mill. After Mersman's folded he worked at Hemmelgarn & Sons Eggs. Then he got his CDL and drove semis for Pohl Transportation until he retired. Throughout Ollie’s life, he gave more to his community than he expected in return. In addition to their birth children, he and Ruth were foster parents to a dozen children who desperately needed a loving and stable home. He was also adored by the many children who were cared for by Ruth at her in-home day care service. He earned his Emergency Medical Technician certification and was a founding member of Coldwater Emergency Squad 7, serving the community as a volunteer EMT for 15 years. He volunteered at Mercer Health Hospital starting in 2013 and served on the Mercer Volunteer Board of Directors from 2016 to 2022. He dedicated over 5,600 volunteer hours to the hospital and was recognized for volunteering the most annual hours in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Even at the age of 88 and in declining health, he volunteered for over 80 hours in 2024. He also donated over twenty gallons of blood to the Red Cross blood bank. Ollie was a member of the Boy Scout Troop 96 Committee. He served on the Coldwater 'Cudas Swim Team board and was instrumental in the acquisition and running of the team's first computerized timing and scoring system. He also worked on the team's newspaper recycling fundraising program. Consistent with support for education, he volunteered on the Joint Vocational School tax levy committee, and while that levy was not successful, it eventually led to the establishment of the Tri-Star Career Compact. Ollie loved collecting and "cataloging" his beer can collection. He was member #698 in the Beer Can Collectors of America club and he pursued that hobby for many years and amassed a collection of over 5,000 unique cans. His interest in beer cans and history resulted in many family vacations centered on visiting breweries and historic sites. One vacation even traced the life of Abrham Lincoln. He had a sly sense of humor, even joking with his medical support team in his final days. He enjoyed being a pessimistic Reds fan, never admitting that they were "winning" during games, he would only acknowledge that "they were ahead." Visitation will be Tuesday July 2 from 4:00PM to 7:00 PM and Wednesday July 3 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at N. J. Hogenkamp Sons, Inc – Coldwater. Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at 10:30 AM at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Coldwater. Interment and military honors to follow at St. Elizabeth Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Coldwater Squad 7 or Everheart Hospice.