Silvia M Wehner

Silvia Madelon Ricketts Wehner’s life was marked by love of family, elegance, art and travel, and by an adventurous spirit. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on January 8, 1926, the only child of Ernest Ricketts and Elsie Crespi Gunn. Her father was a descendant of the Ricketts family of Bristol and London, England, soldiers, diplomats, bankers and South American ranch owners. Her mother was a descendant of Conte Silvio Begnino Crespi, a banker and diplomat of Milan, Italy. Her childhood was divided between her parents’ estancias, their flat in Buenos Aires and boarding school abroad. She had childhood memories of many notable visitors to the ranches, including Edward, Prince of Wales, and President Jose Uriburu of Argentina. Family legend had Butch Cassidy, on the hideout in South America, also being an earlier visitor. At school she excelled in field hockey---she was a team captain---singing, literature, languages, horseback riding, and the arts.

At the age of 21 she was married in Montevideo, Uruguay, into the Fouche/Lemmer family, a prominent South African military and political family. She immediately left for Capetown, South Africa, where she lived for 5 years, and where her two daughters were born. She returned to Argentina, and in 1962 she married Elmer Wehner, an American executive and inventor. Mr. Wehner worked as an industrial consultant, and in connection with his career they lived in Colombia, Venezuela, Turkey, Puerto Rico, France and Spain. Together they traveled the world, entertaining extensively, always returning to her native Argentina. Upon his retirement they moved to Palm Beach, Florida, where he predeceased her. After his passing she moved to Alto, New Mexico, where she lived for some time before finally moving to Midland.

Silvia was a private, elegant lady with a passion for perfection in all that she was interested in, and that was a great deal, including her English gardens, orchids, dogs, cooking, opera, her love for Mozart and politics (she was a veteran of the Peron era and its revolution, which informed her attitudes, to say the least). She loved great works of art, sailing, traveling, antiques and ranch life. She always found something new to interest her; she did this throughout her life and up to her passing on March 22, at her home of two years in Midland, Texas. She was living with her three daschunds, Mozart,