Obituary for Wayne A. Doenges
Wayne A. Doenges, 91, was reunited with his beloved wife in his heavenly home on Sunday, August 4, 2019 after a brief struggle with cancer. Born in Fort Wayne, he was the only son of Christian and Emma Doenges (both deceased). He married his wife, Phyllis, in November of 1955 and, shortly thereafter, moved to New Haven. He remained married to Phyllis until her passing in 2002. Wayne retired from Magnavox where he was an Associate Environment Engineer. He had a long-standing community service career – serving as President of the Meadowbrook Neighborhood Association, as a New Haven City Councilman for District 5 for four terms and on New Haven’s Board of Works & Safety Committee for over twenty years. He was the recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash award in 2004 in recognition of his committed service to the City of New Haven.
Wayne was an Endowment Life Member of the NRA. His hobbies included shooting sports, teaching gun safety, photography and motorcycling. After selling his last motorcycle at age 87, he then enjoyed driving his light blue Miata around the back roads of New Haven and up to the Pokagan State Park. Wayne was a Korean War veteran and was an active member of the Korean War Veterans Association, Chapter 133, in Fort Wayne. He also had the privilege of participating in the Northeast Indiana “Honor Flight” in April of 2016. He is survived by three sons, Wayne P. (Vickie) Doenges, Mark (Twila) Doenges, and Chris (Jeanie) Doenges; and daughter, Cheri (Greg) Umphrey and grandson, Scott Umphrey. He was also preceded in death by his four sisters, Eileen Huffman, Dorothy Graef, Helen Stabler and Luella Erickson. Wayne’s wish was to have both the visitation and funeral services held at Emanuel Lutheran Church, 800 Green Street, New Haven, Indiana, where he was a member for over 60 years. Pastor David Stecker will officiate the funeral service held on Friday, August 9, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. with visitation one hour before the service. Visitation is from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 8, 2019. Preferred memorials to Emanuel Lutheran Church, New Haven.
Wayne was an Endowment Life Member of the NRA. His hobbies included shooting sports, teaching gun safety, photography and motorcycling. After selling his last motorcycle at age 87, he then enjoyed driving his light blue Miata around the back roads of New Haven and up to the Pokagan State Park. Wayne was a Korean War veteran and was an active member of the Korean War Veterans Association, Chapter 133, in Fort Wayne. He also had the privilege of participating in the Northeast Indiana “Honor Flight” in April of 2016. He is survived by three sons, Wayne P. (Vickie) Doenges, Mark (Twila) Doenges, and Chris (Jeanie) Doenges; and daughter, Cheri (Greg) Umphrey and grandson, Scott Umphrey. He was also preceded in death by his four sisters, Eileen Huffman, Dorothy Graef, Helen Stabler and Luella Erickson. Wayne’s wish was to have both the visitation and funeral services held at Emanuel Lutheran Church, 800 Green Street, New Haven, Indiana, where he was a member for over 60 years. Pastor David Stecker will officiate the funeral service held on Friday, August 9, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. with visitation one hour before the service. Visitation is from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 8, 2019. Preferred memorials to Emanuel Lutheran Church, New Haven.