Wendell’s life touched many lives. From a rural Wyoming upbringing to a 25-year career as an US Air Force officer and after that, an award-winning producer of faith-based motion pictures, Wendell will be forever remembered by his family, friends and co-workers. More than anything Wendell delighted in spending time with other people and loved helping anyone who was in need.
Wendell was born January 6, 1933, in Lovell, Wyoming the youngest of nine children. He graduated in 1955 from Utah State University with a B.S. in Agriculture Economics and earned a M.S. in Financial Management in 1966 at University of Colorado. He entered the United States Air Force immediately after graduation from the university.
He married Marjorie Anne Hinkley in Los Fresnos, Texas in August of 1956. In his 25 years of military service he was stationed in Harlingen, Texas; Montgomery, Alabama; Waco, Texas; Boulder, Colorado; Arlington, Virginia; Saigon, Vietnam; Bellevue, Nebraska; Ramstein AFB, West Germany and San Antonio, Texas. He retired in 1980 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel while serving as Comptroller at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. His previous responsibilities including Navigator Instructor and Systems Analyst at the Pentagon and in Vietnam.
After his military service, Wendell became the co-founder and executive producer of White Lion Pictograph, a San Antonio-based film production company that focused on Christian films. In 1987 Wendell was awarded the Christian Film Distributor’s Association “Founders Award” for his extraordinary contribution to the Christian Film Industry. In 1997, his wife of 31 years, Marjorie, passed on to be with our Lord and then in 2000 Wendell married Sandra Sturdivant West in and continued his ministry of loving, helping and sharing Christ with others.
He is survived by his loving wife, Sandra, and sons, James and Michael and grandsons Alexander, Nicholas, Luke and Isaac, plus extended family. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to New Braunfels Christian Ministry by calling 830-999-6226.
A Celebration of Life for Wendell will be held at Oakwood Baptist Church at 2154 Loop 337, New Braunfels, TX 78130, phone 830-625-0267, on Tuesday March 19th at 3pm.
