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- [S234] Staff, Daily Press, The, (Name: Daily Press, The; Location: St. Marys, Elk, Pennsylvania, United States;), Wegemer, Malene Claire (Bauer).
Malene Claire Wegemer earned her eternal dancing shoes on April 19, 2023, just 10 days shy of her 94th birthday, and is once again waltzing to her favorite music with her husband. She was a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother and a friend to many. Malene was born on April 29, 1929 in St. Marys, PA to the late Norman and Hilda (Pontzer) Bauer. She attended schools in St. Marys and graduated high school from Central High School in 1947. She earned a Bachelor's of Science in Home Economics from Seton Hill College in 1951. She married Aubert Frederick Wegemer in St. Marys Church on October 23, 1954.
Malene's greatest adventure was moving from all her family in PA to snowy Afton, WY in December of 1968 to run the Lazy B Motel as a family-owned business. While in Afton, the family traveled to Montpelier, ID each Sunday to attend church. Gathering the small group of Catholic families together, they convinced the priest to come hold Mass in the back office and living room of the Wegemer family at the Lazy B Motel. In 1977, ground was broken for the first mission church one mile north of Afton. Malene took great pride that her husband, Aub, laid the concrete for this church and that they are mentioned as contributing members in the history of the Holy Family Catholic Church currently located in Thayne, WY.
Malene volunteered at the Soil Conservation Service and Casper Police Department. She ushered for the symphony and in October 2017, she was nominated for the Jefferson Award for her volunteer service to the Casper Senior Center for over 30 years. Into her 90s she always said, "I like holding the door and serving the old people." Malene traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Germany, Switzerland and France. She cruised the Panama Canal. She spent the last few years traveling from one of her children's homes to another, always avoiding the snow and ensuring that she spent her summers in WY.
Music was food to her soul and boy did she love to dance! She often said, "I'd rather dance than eat" and dance she did. She was laughing and dancing three days prior to succumbing to complications from pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Malene loved people and people adored her. As the family traveled, she introduced them to all her new 'best' friends she had met on the plane, in the restaurant, at the hotel, in the parking lot, in church, wherever. She did not know a stranger and always saw the very best in people.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 41 years; her siblings Norman "Squeaky" Bauer, Martha Lenze, Clarice "Tootie" Bauer; her sons-in-law Owen Jones and Mike DePre; and granddaughter, Lauren Elizabeth Brown.
Malene is survived by her brother, George Bauer of St. Mary's; her six children: Anne (Mitch) Miles of Afton WY, Lynn Jones of Asotin WA, Louise DePre of The Villages FL, Jane Brown of Naples FL, Teresa (Fred) Chapman of El Dorado Hills CA and Michael (Jeanette) Wegemer of Joliet IL; her seven grandchildren: Christie Arnold, Aaron Arnold, Ashley Brown, Stephanie Brown, Robert "Bobby" Nyberg, Lindsey Bryner, Brian Wegemer; and 10 great-grandchildren: Aston Arnold, Shelby Bryner, Alexis Bryner, Layla Bryner, Levi Nyberg, Scarlett Nyberg, Adelaide Wegemer, Adeline Miles, Everly Miles and Chase Miles.
A funeral Mass, graveside service and open house are planned for August 8, 2023 in Afton, WY. Specific times will be released once details are finalized. All friends and family are welcomed with open arms. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Hospice, or a charity of your choice.
The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to the doctors, nurses, clinicians, and so many others at the HCA Florida West Marion Hospital in Ocala, FL for their professional and compassionate care in keeping our mother comfortable and at peace throughout her entire stay.
Daily Press, The: 26APR2023.
HFA: 26APR2023.
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1929 - 2023 (93 years)
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