July 8, 1941 ~ Jan. 9, 2022
Wenschhof
George Clarence Wenschhof, 80, was born at home along Wenschhof Road in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, to Clyde Wenschhof, Sr., and Verna May (Ney) Wenschhof on July 8, 1941. George passed away peacefully on Jan. 9, 2022.
Glenda, George’s wife of 40 years, often said that George started a new life about every 15 years interwoven with his 40 years of military service.
George did not do well in school, having dyslexia that made reading, writing and spelling almost impossible and was held back in the third grade. By high school, his teachers and school counselor advised him to make a career out of being a good farm hand. Instead, George joined the Pennsylvania National Guard (with his father’s signature) at age 17 and went into the Air Force the day after graduation from high school in 1960.
He married Pamela Kay Bolish in 1962 while on active duty. They had two children, during which time George was in the Reserves and operated his own excavating business laying telephone cable under the highways in upstate Illinois. They divorced in 1968 and George went back into active duty with the Army and ultimately was stationed at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he learned to fly.
In 1970, George met and married Glenda Faye Adams. In addition to going in and out of active duty with the Army throughout his life, George worked for a large building and excavating company in Pennsylvania, before he and Glenda began their commercial knife sharpening business in their garage, Lion Industrial Knife, Inc. in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, where he learned and developed the art of sharpening industrial knives for paper mills, publishing houses, candy and snack industries, US Mint and Post Office. In the summer, the two of them ran GeorGlen Charter Fishing in Henderson Harbor, New York, along eastern Lake Ontario.
In the late 1990s, George and Glenda sold everything and moved to Meeker, Colorado. At age 58, George was starting yet another new chapter of his life. This time he partnered for five years with a local rancher who in return taught George how to become a good cattleman. At the end of that period, George and Glenda acquired the -T- Ranch, where George together with Don Hilkey was able to innovate and upgrade the ranch’s operations, including, but not limited to, changing the way they put up hay, installing a 2,000-foot irrigation pivot, and designing and constructing a hydroelectric generator system to power the ranch.
In 2000, George retired as a Chief Warrant Officer Four (CW4) after 40 years in the military, having served in both active and inactive, i.e., National Guard and Reserve, capacities as a Standards Instruction Pilot (SIP), mechanic, and pilot, providing check rides, training and qualifying helicopter pilots. He achieved an advance level of flight and maintenance skills; he was maintenance-certified for all fixed wing planes up to a 747-cargo plane and all models of helicopter, as well as being instrumental in the development and testing the first night vision goggles. He earned the “Broken Wing” award for safely landing a disabled helicopter by performing a challenging maneuver, not found in the manual, enabling he and his co-pilot to walk away from the aircraft without injury.
Glenda passed away in 2011. Later that year, George met Jaclyn M. Gisburne. They were married in April 2012. George continued ranching until 2015, when again George started a new chapter in his life by retiring from ranching. Having sold the ranch, the couple moved back to the house George built in 1987 in upstate New York along Lake Ontario in hopes of fishing the days away, which really meant refitting and rigging up a new boat, which he did. They later bought another home in Alabama – New York was too cold and had too much snow in the winter. There George enjoyed beach fishing and travel in their motorhome going back and forth between the homes and visiting family.
With his son having just departed after spending time with him in his last few days, George passed away peacefully at home in Gulf Shores, Alabama, after a prolonged illness, with Jaclyn, his wife, at his side. He was preceded in death by his parents and Glenda Faye (Adams) Wenschhof, his wife of 40 years. He is survived by his wife, Jaclyn Gisburne Wenschhof; brothers, Clyde Andrew Wenschhof Jr. (Nancy) and Raymond Charles; daughter, Sherry Hodges and son, Christopher Alan Wenschhof (Amy); four grandchildren Tabytha Lawless, and Tyler, Sheldon, and Levi Wenschhof; one great-grandson; three stepchildren Robert Svoboda (Amy), Paul Svoboda (Cara), Richard Svoboda (Jamie); and 10 step-grandchildren.
Because George had such a diverse life, a small graveside service with a military presence and three Celebrations of Life will be held. The graveside service will be Feb. 5, 2022, at Christian Home Church of Christ – 463 Hwy 92, Newton, Alabama, where his ashes will be interned next to Glenda. The three Celebrations of Life will be in the communities that were so important to him,
April 23 at the Village Hall, 2-4 p.m., in Fairfield, Pennsylvania.
May 21 at the 4-H Bldg.,10 a.m. – 2 p.m., in Meeker, Colorado, with lunch being served.
July 2 a backyard barbecue followed by fireworks at the home George built and retired to along Lake Ontario at 8054 Fargo Rd. in Henderson, New York.
Friends and family are invited to bring and share your stories and memories at one or all the celebrations.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate to either of two ranch-related vocational training scholarships – The George C. and Glenda F. Wenschhof Memorial Scholarship for students in the Meeker School District through the Meeker Education Foundation (P.O. Box 255, Meeker, CO 81641) or The George C. and Jaclyn M. Wenschhof Vocational Scholarship Fund for students in Rio Blanco County through the Rio Blanco County Historical Society (P.O box 413, Meeker, CO 81641) – or to a charity of your choice in his name.
At a hydroelectric conference after presenting how he designed, excavated, laid the pipe, and with the help of others built his own hydroelectric plant, he was asked what was his degree in that made all this possible. Without hesitation he proudly said, ”I have a CBE.” After a pause the man sheepishly said, “I’m not familiar with CBE,” to which George replied, “Cowboy Engineering.” How did he make and level the platform? He used a custom-built septic tank and a level. How did he lift and set the generator in place without a crane? He just hooked a chain to it and lifted it with a backhoe. And so it was; that was George. In the end, he became a good farm/ranch hand, meeting his teachers and high school counselor expectations, and on the way became so much more.
