Carl O. Wehner, 83, passed away peacefully on February 19, 2013, at Allen Hospital, Waterloo. A visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, February 22, at Richardson's Funeral Home, Cedar Falls, and a celebration of Carl's life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, February 23, at First United Methodist Church, Cedar Falls. A luncheon will be served at the church after the service. Interment will be private. Carl was born July 28, 1929, in Hancock County, Illinois, the oldest son of Orville L. Wehner and Doris L. Wehner (nee Derks). He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at Iowa State Teachers College in 1951. While there, he met his future wife, Wanda L. Ponder. They married on June 16, 1952. Carl taught high school mathematics at Gladbrook and Mediapolis before returning to Cedar Falls to earn his Master of Education degree from Iowa State Teachers College in 1959. He then taught high school mathematics in Maquoketa for two years. In 1961, Carl began teaching in the mathematics department at State College of Iowa. During his thirty-one year tenure at State College of Iowa (now the University of Northern Iowa), Carl was recognized by his colleagues as a leader in curriculum development, especially in the new discipline of computer science. In addition to the classroom, Carl used his computer skills during a long period of service as the volunteer registrar of the Iowa Council of Teachers of Mathematics. He also presented papers at state and national meetings of this organization. During the turbulent 1970s, Carl served as the president of the UNI chapter of the American Association of University Professors. Carl retired from the University of Northern Iowa in 1992.
After retirement, he was active in the UNI Emeritus Association and served as co-chair for this group. He was a lifetime member of the UNI Alumni Association and belonged to the Friends of the UNI Museum. In addition to his professional duties, Carl was very active in many Cedar Valley organizations, especially those agencies helping others. He served for many years on the board of the Waterloo Urban Ministry and Operation Threshold. He volunteered at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, CROP Walk, Cedar Falls Historical Society, and the Cedar Valley Arboretum and Botanical Garden. For many years Carl was very involved in the Thanksgiving In-Gathering, the major mission project of the United Methodist Church. Carl was an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Cedar Falls and was especially involved in their service projects. Carl was a member of First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls for more than fifty years and also found support for his pacifist philosophy at the Cedar Falls Mennonite Church. His lifelong motto was "Live simply so others may simply live." Carl had many hobbies. He enjoyed stamp collecting and was very active in the Cedar Valley Stamp Club. He was a farm boy at heart and always loved gardening. He also enjoyed attending auctions and hosting his own semi-annual "super" garage sales on Walnut Street. Carl was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Wanda Wehner of Cedar Falls; brothers Roland (Marilyn) Wehner of Iowa City and Nelson (Joann) Wehner of Independence; daughters Sherilyn (Thomas) Dekarske of Milwaukee, Susan Wehner (Guenter Munderloh) of Hamburg, Germany, and Linda (John) VanVlack of Rapid City, South Dakota; grandchildren Joshua (Emma) VanVlack, Lillian (Tyler) Bruckner, Moritz Munderloh, arid Eleanor Mundedoh; great-grandchildren Riley, Ethan, and Haleigh Bruckner; and many nieces and nephews. Carl is further survived by numerous friends and colleagues. In lieu of flowers, contributions are suggested to the First United Methodist Church Hunger Fund, the Mennonite Relief Fund, or the Carl & Wanda Wehner Scholarship Endowment at the UNI Foundation.
Copyright Waterloo Courier on-line edition; downloaded February 21, 2013.