Frederick W. Wentker Jr., ’56, 1932-2026
Frederick W. Wentker Jr.
Frederick William Wentker, Jr. passed away peacefully on April 17th, 2026, surrounded by all his loved ones in San Francisco. Fred was born in Chicago, IL, in 1932 to Frederick William Wentker, Sr. and Henrietta Severina Pedersen.
He spent much of his childhood in Haddonfield, NJ, graduating from Haddonfield Memorial High School in 1950. Fred's childhood was filled with football and tennis, dramatics, summers spent with cousins on the farm in Mishicot, WI, and his beloved Irish Setter, Copper. He attended Carleton College before earning his law degree from the University of Chicago in 1956. Fred married Jo Ann Shelly on August 16, 1958, in Freeport, Illinois.
He served as Assistant Attorney General for Illinois from 1956 to 1959 and continued in private practice in Illinois for another year before relocating to San Francisco and joining the Lillick McHose & Charles firm in 1961, where he remained as a distinguished maritime attorney until his retirement in 1996. Fred was a member of the San Francisco Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Maritime Law Association of the United States, and the International Bar Association-which ignited his passion for travel. In his retirement, he volunteered to help the retirement community by serving on the boards of Aldersly and the Elder Care Alliance.
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