Eugene (Gene) Wengert
Eugene (Gene) Wengert, 82, passed peacefully at home surrounded by family in Bishop, GA, from metastatic pancreatic cancer, and is now in the loving hands of Jesus. He was born August 31,1942 in Knoxville, TN, to Norman and Janet (Mueller) Wengert. Gene graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (BS and PhD) and Colorado State University (MS). While an undergraduate, he met Barbara Buehler. They were married in 1964 and raised three children, Paul (Denise Hart), Thad (Ana Ramos) and Laura (Alan Moore). Gene and Barbara have nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren. They celebrated 60 years of marriage in August of 2024.
Gene’s career in wood products began in 1961 loading and unloading a solar-heated lumber dryer at the U.S. Forest Products Lab in Madison, WI. He continued working at the Lab on the weathering and drying of wood through 1976. While there, he co-authored the USDA Handbook Drying Eastern Hardwood Lumber. He also was assigned for two years at the Rocky Mountain Forest Experiment Station in Ft. Collins, CO. This experience, working directly with the wood industry, culminated in his move to take a faculty position as a wood products extension specialist at Virginia Tech, where he worked for 16 years. He developed the so-called “Virginia Tech Solar Heated Lumber Dryer” which has been built around the world. While there, he began his monthly column, “Ask the Wood Doctor” in Furniture Design and Manufacturing magazine which has continued monthly for over 46 years.
Gene retired from extension in 1998 and began his consulting company “The Wood Doctor’s Rx LLC.” He traveled extensively both abroad and domestically.
Overall, Gene wrote eight books on wood processing, wrote hundreds of practical articles for the industry, and trained over 5,000 sawmill and wood drying employees. In the manufacturing industry, he developed and instituted many quality procedures in wood processing that are used today. His many “industry students” commented on how he was able to take complex science and technology and translate it into practical manufacturing procedures. Gene worked with a multitude of wood products manufacturers, from lumber to drumsticks, from cabinets to furniture, from flooring to railroad ties. He was inducted into the industry’s Hall of Fame due to his work with sports’ floors.
His career took the family to wonderful college towns to live: Madison, WI, Fort Collins, CO, and Blacksburg, VA. In 2015, Gene and Barbara relocated to Bishop, GA, to be nearer to their children.
Gene was a teacher at heart. Alongside his professional career he taught classes in subjects relating to his studies of the Bible (Bethel Bible Series, Revelation, Jonah, angels: all related to his faith); how to sharpen garden tools; genealogy research and many more. He spent many happy and productive hours researching his and Barbara’s ancestry as well as helping many friends discover theirs.
Gene and Barbara enjoyed RVing, starting with a pop-up camper in 1968 and continuing camping, having their small Winnebago motor home today. They volunteered in their church and community on many projects. They were members of the Methodist NOMADS working as volunteers at camps, children’s homes and churches. They both were tutors at local grade schools. They enjoyed watching their grandchildren grow into responsible adults. Gene’s hobbies included wood working, bicycling (coast to coast twice and the Mississippi River four times), fishing, vegetable gardening, soccer refereeing (over 300 games) and genealogy.
Family members and friends celebrated Gene’s 82 years of the fantastic life that God provided him, at Oconee Presbyterian Church, Watkinsville, GA.
