Crime & Safety
Former Councilman Dies In Golf Cart 'Mishap' In Independence
The 82-year-old is survived by his wife, Mollie, with whom he was due to celebrate 60 years of marriage in December, his obituary states.
INDEPENDENCE, MN — A former Independence City Council member died last week after crashing his golf cart at his home, according to officials and reports.
Norman Clarence Wenck, 82, died May 25 at his home in Independence in what the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office called a “golf cart mishap.”
Wenck served on the Independence City Council from 2007-2015, as first reported by the Star Tribune.
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He is survived by his wife, Mollie — with whom he was due to celebrate 60 years of marriage in December — four children, 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, according to his obituary.
“Norm loved spending time with his grandchildren and traveled the globe on adventures with many of them,” his family wrote in his obituary.
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Wenck “met and married the love of his life,” Mollie, while earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Iowa State University, according to his obituary.
He loved traveling with his wife and enjoyed boating on Lake Sarah, relaxing on Lake Superior’s North Shore and visiting Colorado, Florida and Hawaii in the winter, his family wrote.
“He especially loved his Boundary Waters canoe trips with his small band of adventurers,” his family wrote.
Wenck was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Navy after graduating from Iowa State and served in Maryland, Thailand and Minnesota, according to his obituary. After his service, he worked as an engineer and later founded civil engineering company Wenck Associates in 1985, his obituary states.
Wenck was a longtime member of Vision of Glory Church, where he “built many lifelong friendships,” according to his obituary.
“Norm lived with generosity. He was a faithful giver to his church and supported many charities and organizations,” his family wrote.
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