Robert John Wendling of Minneapolis, MN, passed away on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, in Stone Lake, WI, at a cabin he shared with Gail Emerson, his partner of 24 years.

Bob was born August 14, 1944 in Beaver Dam, WI, the son of Albert and Anita (Theime) Wendling.  He was raised on the family dairy farm in Juneau, WI where he graduated from high school.  He received a bachelor’s degree in Geology and, in 1973, his Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.  He moved to Minnesota and, in 1986, passed the Minnesota bar exam and opened his law practice, Wendling and Associates in Burnsville, MN.  In 1994, Bob met the love of his life, Gail Emerson.  Bob and Gail lived in Minneapolis and regularly visited their cabin in Stone Lake, WI where Bob volunteered at the Stone Lake Market Co-op and the Hayward Community Food Shelf.  Some of his happiest and most peaceful times were spent on their pontoon cruising slowly around Stone Lake at cocktail hour. A runner in high school, Bob was a happy guy with absolutely no sense of direction. This earned him the nickname from a dear friend “Bobby Sunshine Crazy-legs Pathfinder”.  He enjoyed listening to music, cooking, traveling, good food and wine, and golfing.  He was always eager to learn and loved his family dearly. 

Bob is survived by his partner, Gail Emerson; four children, Christine Bradley, Mark (Lisa) Bradley, Jamie (Jason) Reiter, Anna (Jason) Allen, all of Prior Lake, MN; twelve grandchildren; one great grandson; one brother, Jerry (Karen) Wendling of Papillion, NE; one sister, Dorothy (John) Priske of Fall River, WI; and one nephew, David (Liz) Wendling. All remember his twinkling blue eyes, big warm hugs and easy laughs.

A celebration of his life will be held at a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Hayward Community Food Shelf, PO Box 779, Hayward, WI 54843 https://www.haywardfoodshelf.net/donations/ or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 4550 Montgomery Ave, Suite 1100N, Bethesda MD 20814 or www.cff.org.

Last Update: Dec 31, 2018 8:32 am CST