Rev. Charles D. Wendel (1866-1953)

WENDEL, RAU, KOENIG, DICKINSON, THOMPSON, MUSSIG

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:13

From Nevada Evening Journal May 4, 1953 (page 4)

Funeral Services Held At Story City For Rev. C. D. Wendel

Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon April 29, 1953, at 2 o'clock at Grace Evangelical United Brethren church, Story City, iowa, for Rev. C. D. Wendel.

Dr. W. B. Tarr of Fort Dodge officiated and Dr. O. M. Yaggy of Cedar Falls preached the sermon. A quartet, composed of Mrs. Luther Matson, Mrs. John Howell, George W. Sowers and Rev. W. D. Winder sang "Lead Kindly Light," "Still, Still With Thee," and "Now the Day is Over." Mrs. Dorrel Doolittle served at the organ. Pallbearers and honorary pallbearers were members of the Sunday school class which Rev. Wendel had taught for years and of which he was still a member at the time of his death.

Interment was made in Story City cemetery.

Obituary

Charles D. Wendel was born at La Gro, Indiana, Sept. 9, 1866, the son of Charles and Marie Rau Wendel. Reared in the home of sturdy pioneers as a boy he learned the lessons of integrity, industry and initiative which contributed much to his strong and steadfast character.

He was reared in the same community as Gene Stratton Porter and remembered her well as a chubby little girl with black hair and eyes. The characters, woods and stream depicted in "Laddie Boy," were familiar to young Charles Wendel.

As a young man in 1883, he went to North Central college, Naperville, Illinois and took the commercial course. He was 18 years of age when he was converted in a revival meeting held in Hopewell Methodist church. Seventy-two young people accepted Christ in the same meeting 62 of whom joined the church. After joining the church, Charles and his companion both felt called to preach, and the two went to De Pauw university for one year. Neither returned the second year and in refusing to follow up their preparation for the ministry, both of them lost their glowing experience. Later Charles renewed his covenant with God in a meeting held in Grace Evangelical church in Urbana, Indiana, where he was staying at that time with an uncle.

He was licensed to preach by the Indiana Conference in April 1891, and that spring was transferred to the Des Moines Conference and assigned to the Harlan Mission where he served two pastorates. The next year he was appointed to serve the Kingsley church, and the second year on that field was married to Anna E. Koenig, in the Stanton church near LeMars, Iowa. Mrs. Wendel was a fine homemaker, and her splendid also voice and musical ability proved to be a great help in the work of the church through the years. They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on April 30, 1953.

Together they served the following fields: Oak Park, Des Moines; and Maxwell, Iowa; then Decatur, Indiana, two years; Prescott; Audubon twice; Viola Center, Dumont; Story city; Van Horne; Radcliffe; and Green Mountain, a total of 46 years of service in the pastorate.

He retired form active service in 1937 while at Green Mountain and came to Story City to live. He suffered a stroke over 3 years ago, and was confined to his home and bed from that time until his death, April 27, 1953. He was a good pastor, and earnest student of the Word. Many were converted under his ministry and his people were built up in the faith. Out of his searching of the Scriptures had come a helpful volume from his pen entitled "Lifting the Latch to God's Book House." Through the Old and New Testament which he calls the wings of God's Book House, he skillfully traces the scarlet thread which links the Messiah of Promise with the Christ of Fulfillment. It was his supreme joy to preach the unsearchable riches of grace in Christ Jesus out Lord. He gave heed to the injunction of the Apostle Paul "Preach the Word."

Rev. Wendel is survived by his devoted companion and their seven children Elmer Charles of Nevada; Paul Harry of Des Moines; Dwight Daniel of St. Louis; Lois Marie Dickinson of Colo; George Moody of Iowa Falls; Helen Elizabeth Thompson of LeMars; and Ruth Viola Mussig of Gladbrook; and one sister, Elizabeth Wendel of Winnemac, Ind.

We close this brief obituary with a quotation from his booklet, "In Memoriam" which was an address he gave at the Memorial service at the 1940 Annual Conference.

"In the year 1887 typhoid fever had taken me near death's door. Two of my very dear friends called. They were standing at the door near the head of my bed when my mother entered the room through another door. I heard one of these friends ask in a low voice, "How is Charley?" Mother answered, "He is very low, we don't expect him to live until morning." At that announcement, a "Praise God" sprang up within me, and the thought, "If that be true, then I'll be with Jesus before morning." In that faith I have lived all my life, and in that faith, I hope to die." That happened 66 years ago, and we are confident that our brother has experienced now the reality of that which was then a matter of faith.