Roman Peter Wengler passed away peacefully on August 8, 2022 in Houston, Texas.

Roman was born on June 6, 1927 in Greenwald, Minnesota to Frank and Alfrieda (Braun) Wengler. He was an older brother to Bernadine, Francis, Robert and Donald — a duty and honor Roman took very seriously for his entire life.

In the classroom, Roman excelled and was the top student at his schools in Greenwald and Albany. His academic prowess caught the attention of the depot agent on the Great Northern Railroad, who offered him the opportunity to learn telegraphy and become a railroad telegrapher. The job was exciting and the money seemed too good to pass up, so the summer before his senior year of high school, Roman started work on the railroad at age 16. On the advice of his Principal, Roman took his books and continued his studies at night, returning to the classroom in between railroad assignments.

After graduating from high school, he enrolled at St. John's University but was drafted into the U.S. Army in November 1945. His telegraphy background earned him an assignment to the Signal Corps in Germany. Following his honorable discharge, Roman went to the University of Minnesota on the G.I. Bill, graduating with a bachelor's in civil engineering, a bachelor's in business administration and a master's in civil engineering.

The most important event of his time during college occurred not in the classroom but in a movie theater on October 3, 1952. Coerced by a friend into a double date with his date's roommate, Roman met Joan Sigurdson for the first time. They saw "High Noon" and it was love. In March 1957, he proposed to Joan after a courtship she felt had dragged on for much too long. He often said in later years that asking her to marry him was the best decision he ever made and the fact she said yes was the luckiest thing that ever happened to him.

Joan had only three weeks to plan the wedding because Roman informed her (only after she had accepted his proposal) that they were moving to Paris in less than a month for his job with Harza Engineering Company.

Roman joined Harza after college and would spend the entirety of his professional career with the company. He became a global leader in the design of concrete dams, providing protection from flooding, dependable water supply and power generation to millions. He contributed to some of the world's most significant infrastructure projects, working in China, Iran, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. He particularly enjoyed building Mossyrock Dam in Washington and the Strontia Springs Dam in Colorado. Roman earned the rank of Chief Engineer at Harza and was a member of the Harza Board of Directors before retiring in 1993.

Even more than his numerous professional achievements, Roman said his greatest accomplishment was his family. He and Joan had four amazing kids: Frank, Susan, Joseph and John Wengler, and three wonderful daughters-in-law: Diana Wengler, Leigh Wengler and Dragana Pilipovic. Roman was the exceedingly proud Grandpa (or GP) to their 11 beloved grandchildren: Kayla Wengler, Nevena Pilipovic-Wengler, Nick Thomas, Christine Wengler, Saša Pilipovic-Wengler, Tess Thomas, Katie Mohan, Simon Thomas, Patrick Thomas, Lucas Wengler and Ellie Wengler. He also bragged incessantly about becoming a Great-Grandpa (or GGP) to his great-grandson Hugo Hunter-Thomas. Roman would gladly adorn a Santa costume, ride a roller coaster at Magic Kingdom or perform a song on the ukulele all in the name of entertaining his grandkids.

After living in their home in Wilmette, Illinois for 52 years, Roman and Joan enjoyed their final chapter in Houston, Texas where they were lovingly cared for by Frank, Diana and the staff at the Solana Vintage Park. They spent their last years together playing bridge, eating candy and endlessly discussing their grandchildren. Roman remained devoted to Joan until she passed in 2019, using GoGo Grandpa (an Uber-like service for the elderly) to visit her every day at the hospital.

Roman loved golf, skiing, licorice and the Chicago Cubs. He was a prolific emailer and potentially the last person to still use an AOL account. He read The Wall Street Journal religiously until his last week. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.

Roman is predeceased by his wife, Joan, his parents, Frank and Alfrieda, his siblings Bernadine, Francis and Donald, his infant sister, Bernadine Elizabeth Wengler, his stepmother, Gert Wengler, and his daughter-in-law Leigh. He is survived by his children, Frank, Susan, Joseph and John, his daughters-in-law Diana and Dragana, his brother Robert, his sister-in-law Betty Wengler, his grandchildren, Kayla, Christine, Katie, Nick, Tess, Simon, Patrick, Lucas, Ellie, Nevena and Saša, his grandchildren-in-law, Arjun Mohan, Rory Hunter and Nicki Zenker, and his great grandson, Hugo.

Always ones to do things their own way, Roman and Joan asked their loved ones to wait until they both passed away to hold any memorials and instead requested a joint celebration of life event at a later date. This service for Roman and Joan — or G&G as their grandkids affectionately called them — will be held in Greenwald in the summer of 2023. Roman would find flowers or donations a waste so please save or invest that money instead. To share a memory of Roman or send a condolence to his family please visit www.kleinfh.com/obits .