Roman P. Wengler

Roman Peter Wengler, formerly from Greenwald and Albany, passed away peacefully Aug. 8, 2022, in Houston, Texas.

Roman was born June 6, 1927, in Greenwald to Frank and Alfrieda (Braun) Wengler. He was an older brother and mentor to Bernadine, Francis, Robert and Donald. The family moved to Albany in 1938.

The beginning of World War II resulted in a serious domestic manpower shortage. Roman excelled academically, which caught the attention of the local representative on the Great Northern Railroad, who offered him the opportunity to become a railroad telegrapher. He successfully completed required coursework and in the summer before his senior year of high school, at age 16, Roman started work as a depot agent on the Great Northern Railroad. On the advice of his principal, Roman took books and coursework with him to continue studies at night, returning to the classroom between railroad assignments. He graduated from Albany High School in 1945. 

After graduating from high school, Roman enrolled at St. John’s University but was drafted into the U.S. Army in November 1945. His telegraphy background earned him an assignment to the U.S Army Signal Corps in Germany. Following his honorable discharge, Roman enrolled at the University of Minnesota on the GI Bill, graduating with bachelor’s degrees in business administration and civil engineering and a master’s degree in civil engineering.

Roman joined Harza International Engineering of Chicago after college and would spend the entirety of his professional career with the company. He became a global leader in the design of concrete arch dams, which provides protection from flooding, a dependable water supply and power generation to millions. He contributed to some of the world’s most significant infrastructure projects, in the USA, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. He particularly enjoyed building Mossyrock Dam in Washington and the Strontia Springs Dam in Colorado. Roman rose to the rank of chief engineer at Harza and was a member of the Harza Board of Directors before retiring in 1993. Roman was elected to the Albany Area Schools’ Academic Wall of Honor in 2015, after retiring in 1993

After living in their home in Wilmette, Illinois, for 52 years, Roman and his wife, Joan, moved to Houston, Texas, where they spent their last years at the Solana Vintage Park. Roman remained devoted to Joan until she passed in 2019.

Roman loved golf, skiing, licorice and the Chicago Cubs. He was a prolific emailer and potentially was the last person to still use an AOL account. He read The Wall Street Journal religiously until his last week. 

He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.

Roman is predeceased by his wife, Joan; his parents, Frank and Alfrieda; his siblings, Bernadine, Francis and Donald; infant sister Bernadine Elizabeth; his stepmother, Gertrude Wengler; and his daughter-in-law Leigh. 

He is survived by his children, Frank, Susan, Joseph and John; his daughters-in-law, Diana and Dragana; brother Robert; sister-in-law Betty Wengler; grandchildren Patrick Thomas, Kayla, Christine, Katie, Nick, Tess, Simon, Lucas, Ellie, Nevena and Saša; grandchildren-in-law Arjun Mohan, Rory Hunter and Nicki Zenker; and great-grandson Hugo.

Roman and Joan asked their loved ones to wait until they both passed away to hold a memorial and requested a joint celebration of life event at a later date. A service for Roman and Joan will be held in Greenwald the summer of 2023. Roman would find flowers or donations a waste, so please save or invest that money instead. To share a memory of Roman or send a condolence to his family, please visit www.kleinfh.com/obits. 

P-34-1P