By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
With a spring in his step that belied his age, Dr. Don Wenner traversed the 65 yards of sidewalk to reach the front gates of Oakwood Cemetery. There he was greeted with warm hugs, hardy handshakes, and a few job-well-done pats on the back.
The Bucyrus community had opened its arms wide in gratitude Thursday afternoon for the long-time resident who was the driving force behind the installation of the sidewalk in front of Oakwood Cemetery.
“I think it beautifies the cemetery and I think it fulfills a great need for all the walkers, the bike riders, the dog walkers, because there was no sidewalk in either side of the street from here to Southern Avenue,” Wenner said.
The newly constructed sidewalk runs from the main gates of Oakwood Cemetery to Southern Avenue, completing the city walking path that leads from Southern Avenue to Aumiller Park. The sidewalk is marked at the front gates with a black stamp that says “Donated by Dr. Wenner,” which Wenner laughingly said he did not authorize.
Wenner said the project amount came in at somewhere around $17,000.
“The original idea I said came from my daughter,” explained Wenner. His daughter, Susan Wenner Calvert, attended grade school nearby and came home for lunch every day. Her path took her past the cemetery, which lacked a sidewalk.
“I thought at that time, ‘Wow, there should be a walk there.’ But it was a long time coming,” Wenner said.
Though Wenner has always thought the sidewalk was something the community needed, he didn’t comprehend how many others felt the same way.
“I didn’t realize how many people felt that way too until after it happened and I got thank you cards and people personally stepped up and thanked me.”
“He’s done a lot of civic kinds of things. This maybe is like the highlight of the moment but he’s done a lot of things for a lot of years,” said Wenner’s daughter, Susan. She choked up as she added, “It’s very touching.”
Before the ribbon cutting ceremony Bucyrus Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Deb Pinion read an open letter from Rob Neff. A copy of that letter can be found on our Opinion page at www.crawfordcountynow.com.
She gave her own view on Wenner’s contribution to the community.
“I think what it means is that people need to take notice of just exactly what he did here: giving back to the community with expecting absolutely nothing, quietly doing this,” stated Pinion. “If he had his way nobody would have ever known he did this.
“It’s important for people to understand that these things don’t just happen,” she added. “They happen because people care about the community. It doesn’t have to be something big like this, little things matter, too.”
Wenner took a moment to address the crowd that had ranged across the sidewalk that bore his name before he decisively cut the ribbon with a sharp snick of the scissors.
“A lot of people helped me in my life, in my career,” remarked Wenner. “I think Woody Hayes said it best: ‘You can’t give back; you give ahead.’ I guess that’s all I have to say. I gave ahead with this project.”