Elmer Kretzschmar

Elmer W. Kretzschmar, 100, passed away peacefully in his sleep after a short illness at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center on November 18, 2012. He was born in Sartoria, Nebraska, November 18, 1912, and was raised and attended school in Sumner, Iowa. He graduated from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, in 1936 and during his senior year was Captain of the basketball team. Following college he was Principal of Plainfield Public Schools in Plainfield, Iowa, and there he coached basketball, football, baseball, and also taught English, history, and Latin. In 1942, he was drafted into the Army and during WWII he was assigned to Officer Candidate School in Miami, Florida, Reno Air Base in Reno, Nevada, the Lockheed Aircraft Factory in Burbank, California, with the C-69 Airplane project, and then Chabua Air Base, India. In 1944 he met Suzanne C. Balk, a teacher in Sumner, Iowa, while he was home on leave and they were married November 27,1944. After the war he became the Superintendent of Schools at the Waucoma Independent School District during which time he completed a Master of Arts degree in School Administration at the University of Iowa. In 1950, he was recalled to active military service with the U.S. Air Force and retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1968. He then became Dean of the Evening College at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. After retirement from TCU he spent the next 12 years teaching part time for Tarrant County Junior College and began the course work for a doctorate degree in education at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. He was awarded a Master of Education degree from the University of North Texas for his completed class work. His alma mater, Wartburg College, inducted him into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2009, the University of North Texas School of Education bestowed upon him the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award for his scholarly activities in education. Colonel Kretzschmar was active in Phi Delta Kappa (professional education association), scouting, and both he and Suzanne were Red Cross Volunteers. He was preceded in death by his wife who passed away in January 2010 shortly after they had celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. He is survived by his four children, daughter, Dr. George and Ann (Kretzschmar) Pratt of Omaha, Nebraska, and sons, Dr. John and Mary Kretzschmar of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Dr. David and Mary Kretzschmar of Winston Salem, North Carolina, and Dr. James and Deborah Kretzschmar of Cheyenne, Wyoming; 9 grandchildren; and 10 great grandchildren. A private family Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Monday, November 19, 2012, in Cheyenne. Interment will be held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.