Obituary of Philip Martin Wentzel

Philip Martin “Phil” Wentzel, 89, of Vassalboro, formerly of China and Augusta, passed away on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. He was born on February 22, 1928 in São Paulo, Brazil, the second child of Ethel Louise (Lake) Wentzel and Roy Alva Wentzel. The family returned to the U.S. in 1930 and moved to Augusta in 1931. Philip attended Augusta’s Nash and Lincoln Schools and graduated from Cony High School as Third Honor Part in the class of 1946. He served honorably in the Army of the United States from 1946 to 1948, with a tour of duty in Allied-occupied Japan as a photographer and surveyor. He then attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute, earning a B.S. in Civil Engineering in the class of 1952. On September 13, 1952, Philip married Mary Ellen French, the youngest of six children of Thomas Cowan and Eunice Myrtle French, who owned and operated French’s Market Gardens of South China, Maine. Philip and Mary were married for over 65 years until his death. Together they had three sons. Philip was employed for 44 years in the Bridge Construction and Bridge Design Division of the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), formerly the Maine State Highway Commission, as a Registered Professional Engineer, and worked on many bridge projects across the state. Throughout his long life, Philip cultivated numerous interests, including, but by no means limited to, photography, home gardening, cartography, sharing the history of Maine narrow-gauge railroads with his children, maintaining ties with his relatives in the Wentzel and Kaulback families of Maine and Nova Scotia, attending Cony and WPI class reunions and MDOT retiree luncheons, visiting unique natural areas of the state, scouting (achieving the level of Star Scout), baseball and basketball, swimming, skiing, hiking and mountain climbing, attending the annual MOFGA Common Ground Country Fair since its inception in 1977, and documenting past and present covered bridges of Maine and New England. His sons are grateful for the love of Maine, maps, and the outdoors that he instilled in them, and will hold dear the memories of winter downhill skiing and summer trips to Reid and Baxter State Parks, Mount Battie, Frye Mtn., Acadia, Tumbledown Mtn., and the Grafton Notch area. We will never forget the long drives to see and experience the variety of our state or the midday lunches at a picnic area or atop a mountain enjoying the scenery around us. A man of strong Christian faith and high principles, Philip honored his responsibilities to his family, his work, his friends, and his country. He is remembered by many for his easy laugh and sense of humor. Philip was predeceased by both of his parents as well as a sister, Eleanor Mae Clark of Belgrade, and brothers-in-law Richard Houston and Morgan Harris. Survivors include his loving wife, Mary; their three sons: Robert F. Wentzel and wife Valerie Hunter of Portland, OR, Thomas M. Wentzel and wife Cynthia Meier of Tucson, AZ, and John P. Wentzel of Vassalboro; former daughter-in-law Nancy (Favor) (Wentzel) Phinney of Santa Barbara, CA; three grandsons: Robert and Nancy’s Lt. Col. (USAF) Jonathan F. and wife Claire Wentzel, Major (USAF) James B., and wife Kimberly Wentzel, and Robert and Valerie’s Joshua H. Wentzel; and four great-grandchildren: Jon and Claire’s Alice R. and Bruce C., and James and Kim’s Kaden M. and Audrey E. He is also dearly remembered by his sister, Lola Jeanne (Houston) Harris, of Berkeley, CA; brother-in-law, Arthur Clark, of Belgrade; and by his sisters’ six nieces and nephews and their families. A graveside service at Chadwick Hill Cemetery in South China will be announced at a later date. To express condolences and participate in Philip’s online tribute, please visit www.DirectCremationofMaine.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Philip’s memory to National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, c/o Bill Caswell 535 2nd New Hampshire Turnpike Hillsboro NH 03244