Mary W. Koehneke

Mary (Wendelschafer) Koehneke was born October 2, 1928 in Mankato, Minnesota to Clarence William and "Daisy" Clara Margaret (Keenan) Wendelschafer. She grew up on a farm in Cleveland, Minnesota until she moved to Yakima, Washington where her father was involved in World War II work. The family returned to St. Paul, Minnesota where Mary graduated from St. Paul Central High School in 1946. Mary attended the College of St. Catherine where she graduated with a double major in chemistry and library science in 1950. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation she worked at the Institute for Paper Chemistry in Appleton, Wisconsin for two years. She then worked for the Upjohn Company, a major pharmaceutical firm, in Kalamazoo, Michigan as a scientific librarian and a bio-statistician for 32 years. After her retirement, she moved to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1995. Mary married John Henry Koehneke on April 22, 1961 at Zion Lutheran Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She became a stepmother to three children, Kenneth John Koehneke, Katherine Ann (Koehneke) Wyatt and Krista Beth (Koehneke, Robbins) Bell. Mary and John had one daughter, Ellen Mary (Koehneke) Sanders, born on December 10, 1962. Mary enjoyed travel, reading, knitting, her cat and playing an expert game of bridge. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, John and her stepdaughter, Krista. Survivors include her daughter Ellen (Steve) Sanders and their son Jason, her stepchildren Kenneth and Katherine, and Krista's children John (Shelley) Robbins and Tracy (Rob) Westerman. She had two great grandsons, Logan Robbins and Nathan Westerman Memorial contributions in memory of Mary may be made to the charity of your choice. Visitation will be held Wednesday at Flanner and Buchanan-Washington Park North from 5-8pm. A memorial Mass will be held Thursday St. Monica Catholic Church at 2:00 pm, with visitation one hour prior. Online condolences may be made at www.flannerbuchanan.com.