Mario Mancinelli of Bloomington, Illinois, died March 15, 2022. He was 99. Mario served as a faculty member in Illinois Wesleyan’s School of Music for 35 years. He was hired in 1948 to teach strings and chamber music, and conduct the student orchestra. He retired in 1983 with emeritus status. Mario attended Ohio State University, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He was also a faculty member at Brevard Music Center for 25 years. He was a member of the American String Teachers Association, American Federation of Musicians, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and an honorary member of Phi Kappa Phi. Mario was an accomplished violinist and played regularly in Central Illinois orchestras. He enjoyed crossword puzzles, playing and listening to classical music, playing cards, and watching the Indianapolis 500, World Series and the Olympics. He was a longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington-Normal. He is survived by two children and a granddaughter. 

Helen “Bee” (Schaeffer) Bennison ’45 died Feb. 18, 2022, in Bloomington, Illinois. She was 98. Helen was active in Kappa Kappa Gamma and met future husband Jacob Bennison ’44 during her time at Illinois Wesleyan. The Bennisons lived briefly in Park Forest, Illinois, and Lafayette, Indiana, before moving in 1954 to Bethesda, Maryland, where Helen worked for the National Institutes of Health in its grants division. In retirement, the Bennisons moved to Madison, Wisconsin. After Jake’s death in 2014, Helen returned to her hometown of Bloomington. Helen was an excellent seamstress and enjoyed flower gardening. She cared deeply for her family and had special relationships with her late husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband and sister Charlotte Schaeffer ’44. She is survived by three daughters, including Charlotte (Bennison) Donat ’70 and Carol (Bennison) Nyweide ’73, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

George Stanley ’50 passed away January 1, 2022, in Sartell, MN.

Richard Puffer ’53 of Ludington, Michigan, died Dec. 13, 2021. He was 90. Richard majored in business administration at Illinois Wesleyan and met future wife Alison (Cope) Puffer ’52 during their time together at IWU. Richard served in the U.S. Navy from 1953-56, stationed in Hawaii, and it was there that he and Alison began their family. Having earned a master’s degree at Illinois State University and a doctorate at Northwestern University, Richard went on to a career in education. He held positions of assistant superintendent of Cook County schools in Illinois, dean of Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and finally president of Black Hawk Community College in Moline, Illinois. Richard and Alison were active in the Quad Cities community; they participated with their children in Quad City Music Guild productions, and Richard was involved in Rotary Club and Boy Scouts. In retirement, the Puffers moved to Michigan, where Richard remained active in the Rotary Club. Even after Alison’s death in 2020, Richard enjoyed gazing out his window over Hamlin Lake, watching birds retrieve seeds from his feeders and having a friendly dog to pet. He is survived by three children and five grandchildren.

Robert Guenzler ’53 ’56 of Aurora, Illinois, died Dec. 30, 2021. He was 90. Bob earned a bachelor’s degree in music education while studying vocal music and French horn at Illinois Wesleyan. He was drafted into the U.S. Army just one month after marrying Mary Ann (Hagmeyer) Guenzler ’53, and he later returned to IWU on the GI Bill to earn a master’s degree. Bob began his career as an educator in Charleston, Illinois, before spending the majority of his career in Illinois School District 218, where he worked at Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harold L. Richards and Alan B. Shepard high schools in suburban Chicago. Bob was an active member of the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association. He was a leader in the National Association for Music Education and served as chair of the Retired Music Teachers Association. Bob was a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus for 28 years. In retirement, he continued to perform in regional choruses and played the French horn in community orchestras. He and Mary Ann were members at Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, Illinois, where Bob sang in the choir. Bob and Mary Ann never lost their love of learning and desire to serve their communities; they registered voters, worked as election judges, and were recognized as Illinois Wesleyan’s Loyalty Award winners in 1998. Bob adored his family and could always be found at his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events, concerts, school events and family celebrations. He is survived by his wife, daughters Susan (Guenzler) Getz ’77, Marsha Guenzler-Stevens ’78 and Pamela (Guenzler) DeBoer ’82, six grandchildren, including Amy DeBoer ’15, and three great-grandchildren.

Karl Tauber ’57 of Belleville, Illinois, died Nov. 20, 2021. He was 86. Karl studied business administration and played baseball at Illinois Wesleyan. He later played in the Chicago White Sox farm system. Karl spent his career in banking; in 1991, he purchased and founded American Bank, which became First Mid Illinois Bank and Trust. Among his proudest achievements were being named “Outstanding Banker of the Year” by the Community Bankers Association of Illinois and graduating from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. Karl was president of Champaign-Urbana Jaycees, chairman of Illini Industries Development and Corporation, president of the Campaign-Urbana Kiwanis Club and president of the Illini Quarterback Club. He enjoyed community service projects and participated in the Champaign-Urbana Chamber of Commerce. He also was treasurer of the Community Bankers Association of Illinois, and chairman and founder of Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District. He was a member of the Business Education Alliance and treasurer for the Highland Schools Foundation. He is survived by his wife, three children, three stepchildren, six grandchildren and a great-grandson. 

Marian (Goben) Henning ’52 died Nov. 21, 2021, in New Berlin, Wisconsin. She was 93. Marian studied at Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan. She worked as a receptionist in the personnel department at State Farm. She met her future husband, Hugh Henning H’94, at Wesley United Methodist Church, where they were members for 57 years before relocating to Wisconsin in 2011. Marian was purposeful, poised and kind. Her greatest joy was being a wife, mother and grandmother. She loved hosting family gatherings, creating cross-stitch projects and playing golf with the ladies at Bloomington Country Club. She was active in Alpha Gamma Delta and a 55-year member of P.E.O. Chapter FM. She was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by two children, including Brad Henning ’77, and five grandchildren. 

Richard Kenneth Green ’51 of Delphi, Indiana, died Oct. 5, 2021. He was 94. Ken served in the U.S. Navy Reserve before attending Illinois Wesleyan. He taught vocal music for two years at an elementary school in Clifton, Illinois. He later served as an industrial engineer for various companies, including Landis+Gyr in Lafayette, Indiana. He was a member of the Delphi United Methodist Church and its chancel choir, chairman of the senior adult ministry, and a lay leader for the church. He was also a member of the Carroll County Cancer Association, a board member and former president of the Lafayette Chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America (SPEBSQSA), and former volunteer driver with the Carroll County Council on Aging, where he had served on the board of directors. Ken enjoyed camping, photography and attending musical performances. He is survived by three children, two grandchildren, a great-granddaughter and two sisters.

Charles Leonard ’57 of Casper, Wyoming, died Oct. 23, 2021. He was 87. Chuck’s studies at Illinois Wesleyan were interrupted by two years of service in the United States Army, but he returned to campus after his service and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1959. Chuck met his wife, a student at Illinois State University, and they lived in the Illinois communities of Rantoul and Onarga, and later Albuquerque, New Mexico, before settling in Casper in 1969. Chuck pursued many business ventures in Casper. He owned and operated a service station, established a cleaning service, and worked for Casper College. But work was never as important as his faith and family. He was a member of Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church for more than 50 years and served as an elder. He is survived by his wife, four children, nine grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.