Loren Alvin Wenzel died on March 2, 2023, at his home in Cape Coral, Florida. He was 77.
Born on December 12, 1945, in Luverne, Minnesota, to lifelong residents Alvin and Lois (Kuechenmeister) Wenzel, Loren was the eldest of three siblings. Growing up surrounded by a large extended family, including fifteen aunts and uncles and numerous cousins, instilled in him an appreciation for the importance of family, which he passed down to his children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A 1963 graduate of Luverne High School, Loren excelled at varsity basketball and football. He was “a late bloomer” (as he would say later), waiting several years after high school to attend college at Inver Hills Community College while he worked nights at a slaughterhouse in South Saint Paul. He then earned a BS in accounting and MBA from Mankato State University (1978, 1980) and a doctorate of business administration (specializing in historical accounting) from Memphis State University (1990).
After holding teaching positions at Wichita State University (Kansas; 1987–1988), Mankato State University (Minnesota; 1988–1998), Buena Vista University (Iowa; 1998–1999), and Austin Peay State University (Tennessee; 1999–2000), Loren moved on to Marshall State University (West Virginia; 2000–2009), where he was Professor and Head of the Division of Accountancy and Legal Environment and the Elizabeth McDowell Lewis Endowed Chair of the Lewis College of Business. During Loren’s tenure at Marshall, the West Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants named him the West Virginia Outstanding Accounting Educator of the Year for 2004. From 2009 until his retirement to Cape Coral in 2013, Loren was Dean of the West Liberty University College of Business.
Never admitting talent or particular intelligence, Loren attributed his success to stubbornness, and teaching was a way to show his fellow screw-offs what was possible with grit and determination. He was passionate about this pursuit and created an extended family of former graduate assistants and students over the course of his career.
Borrowing from the observations of Lewis Grizzard, Loren would quip, “If you’re not the lead dog, the view never changes.” But he ultimately proved the truth behind the joke, traveling extensively as a leader in his field, both at home and abroad through teaching positions in Germany and India. He was invited to present his doctoral thesis in Sansepolcro, Italy, the birthplace of Luca Pacioli, the father of double-entry accounting.
A generous host with a hearty laugh that inspired others to join in, Loren was known for keeping glasses ever full and sharing fresh fish out on his lanai, among the murals he had commissioned to fill the walls surrounding the pool. He loved to innovate new ways to infuse cuts of meat and fish with deliciousness, then cook them in the smoker or on the grill.
We will remember Loren by keeping our glasses full, laughing at ourselves in absurd situations, and enjoying life.
Loren was predeceased by his wife, Nylah (Roozen) Wenzel; his father, Alvin Wenzel; his sister, Carol Krugerud; and his nephew Adam Krugerud.
He is survived by his mother, Lois Wenzel of Hastings, Minnesota, and his sister, JoAnn Meyers (David) of New York; his daughter Lisa Szumilas (Jeff) of Hudson, Wisconsin; Lisa’s mother, Jan Good (Dale) of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; his daughter Sara Riley (Andrew), and 2-year-old granddaughter Adrienne of Oak Park, Illinois; his son, Karl Wenzel, of Kansas City, Missouri; and Sara and Karl’s mother, Judy Peterson (Frank Gersich) of Salina, Kansas; his bonus sons, Mike (Sheila) and Dan (Renee) Roozen, step-granddaughters Crystal and Cassandra and step-great-grandson Brandon; and numerous nieces and nephews.
The family is grateful to the “dream team,” headed by Dee Dillon, and special neighbors Richard and Bonnie Chapelle, Mark and Gina Spaulding, and Maria and Kenneth Cacace for their support in Cape Coral.
A celebration of life and interment of ashes will take place at the family plot in Luverne at a later date this summer.
Donations in his memory may made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation (https://alzfdn.org/support-).
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