The youngest of Rachel and Clifford Utzinger's four children, Verle was born on July 22, 1926 and raised in Canton, Illinois. He attended Canton, Illinois High School and lettered in football, basketball and track. He learned to fly an airplane while in high school and worked at a dairy before classes started, earning money to pay for flying time. After graduating in 1944, Verle entered the Naval Air Corps. He completed pilot training as the war ended and took an honorable discharge.
During 1946 Verle courted Rosemary Dennis and they were married on October 20, 1946. He entered the University of Illinois-Urbana in January 1946 and studied metallurgy. Housing was scarce on college campuses after the war. He and Rosemary lived in a tiny travel trailer parked in a backyard in Champaign. Verle received his BS in Metallurgical Engineering in 1949. He and Rosemary moved to Decatur, Illinois where he went to work for Meuller Brass. At Meuller Brass, he led the installation of the first electric furnace for brass castings in the United States. All of their children were born in Decatur, Mike in 1950, Gina in 1954 and Tom in 1958. In 1958 he left Mueller Brass to work for Walworth Foundry in Braintree, Massachusetts to lead the installation of an electric casting furnace. In 1959 Verle left Walworth Foundry to work for Sloan Valve Company in Chicago, Illinois where he planned and constructed the most advanced automated brass foundry in the United States. The foundry was chosen one of the top ten factories in 1963. In 1966 he left Sloan Valve to work for Mueller Brass in Chattanooga, Tennessee. One year later, he returned to Chicago to work for Kramer Company, a copper smelter. In 1982 Verle left Kramer and founded Verle B. Utzinger & Associates Foundry Consultants. He consulted for foundries in Brazil, Mexico and Taiwan as well as numerous foundries across the United States. A life long member of the American Foundrymen’s Society, Verle participated in leadership of the society and won numerous awards, including Foundryman of the Year in 1992.
Throughout his years in Chicago, Verle would go to the annual boat show and dream of sailing his own boat. In 1978 Verle and Rosemary purchased a home outside of Fish Creek in Door County, Wisconsin. In the early 1980s Verle purchased a small sailboat and moored it in Fish Creek. Rosemary set up her painting studio and gallery in the garage of their home. The boat was fast and easily overturned in light winds. Because few people wanted to sail with him, he learned solo sailing. In the late 1980s Verle purchased a 21 foot Freedom sailboat rigged for solo sailing. He named the boat the Rachel Ann in honor of his mother. He loved sailing and sailed all over Green Bay solo or with a friend, son or grandson. Whenever he was in San Francisco, he would sail with his nephew Charlie Fortenbach. In 2003 he rented a sailboat and spent a week sailing the North Channel in Lake Huron with sons Mike and Tom and grandson DJ. For his 75th birthday in 2001, he crewed on the tall ship Dennis Sullivan from Milwaukee to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He was always first in line to get his boat in the water in spring and last to have it hauled out in fall. Wishing to extend his sailing season, he and Rosemary began towing the Rachel Ann to the Florida Keys in the late 1990s. In 2006 Verle and Rosemary moved to Palm Hill Country Club in Largo, Florida. He purchased a 24 foot freedom sailboat and continued solo sailing in the Gulf until he sold the boat in 2011.
Family gatherings were an important part of Verle’s life. His family had a long history of reunions that continued with his brothers and sister as they each married and began their own families. There were large reunions from 1952 until 2004. Verle also enjoyed many Thanksgivings and Christmases with his in-laws the Dennis family. In addition to the reunions Verle, Rosemary and their children enjoyed numerous family camping trips and adventures in their fold out tent camper. After their children had grown and moved away, they moved up to the luxury of a Volkswagen camper bus. Also in these years Verle and Rosemary took a number of trips on their own and with friends to Spain, France, Australia, Taiwan and many other places around the world,
At their home in Fish Creek they hosted annual winter family gatherings with their expanding crowd of grandchildren. Later their great grandchildren would visit them in Florida. Sitting around the kitchen table laughing, telling stories and playing Dirty Hearts was the main attraction of these times. Verle and Rosemary have always enjoyed socializing over the card table from Bridge Club in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Fish Creek, WI and most recently with their newest friends in Palm Hill Country Club.
On September 28, 2012 Verle died peacefully surrounded by his loving family Rosemary, Mike, Gina and Tom.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Rachel Utzinger (Cole) and Clifford Utzinger and his brothers Charles and Robert Utzinger.
He is survived by his wife Rosemary Utzinger of Largo, Florida; sister Helen Fortenbach of San Mateo, California; Mike and Orchard Utzinger of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin; Gina McDowell of Seminole, Florida; Tom Utzinger of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin; grandchildren Corrina Beverung and her husband Jordan Beverung of Arlington Heights, Illinois; Brandon Beideman of Iowa City, Iowa; MegAnne McDowell of Deming, Washington; Rachel Utzinger of Glendale, Wisconsin; DJ McDowell of Deming, Washington; and great grandchildren Isabel and Asher Beverung of Arlington Heights, Illinois.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations to the Nurturing Center in Kalispell, Montana. The Nurturing Center was started by Verle’s niece, Susan Christopherson and was Verle’s favorite charity (www.nurturingcenter.org). The Nurturing Center's goal is to ensure that children are treated with respect and live in safety with secure, healthy relationships.
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