Malene Clare Wegemer

Malene Clare Wegemer earned her eternal dancing shoes on April 19, 2023, just 10 days shy of her 94th birthday,
and is once again waltzing to her favorite music with her husband.  She was a beloved wife, mother, sister, aunt,
grandmother, great grandmother and a friend to many.  Malene was born on April 29, 1929 in St. Mary’s, PA to
the late Norman and Hilda (Pontzer) Bauer.  She attended schools in St. Mary’s and graduated high school from
Central High School in 1947.  She earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Home Economics from Seton Hill College in
1951.  She married Aubert Frederick Wegemer in St. Mary’s Church on October 23, 1954.
Malene’s greatest adventure was moving from all her family in PA to snowy Afton, WY in December of 1968 to run
the Lazy B Motel as a family-owned business.  While in Afton, the family traveled to Montpelier, ID each Sunday to
attend church.  Gathering the small group of Catholic families together, they convinced the priest to come hold
Mass in the back office and living room of the Wegemer family at the Lazy B Motel.  In 1977, ground was broken
for the first mission church one mile north of Afton.  Malene took great pride that her husband, Aub, laid the
concrete for this church and that they are mentioned as contributing members in the history of the Holy Family
Catholic Church currently located in Thayne, WY.
Malene volunteered at the Soil Conservation Service and Casper Police Department.  She ushered for the
symphony and in October 2017, she was nominated for the Jefferson Award for her volunteer service to the
Casper Senior Center for over 30 years.  Into her 90s she always said, “I like holding the door and serving the old
people.”  Malene traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Germany, Switzerland and France.  She cruised the
Panama Canal.  She spent the last few years traveling from one of her children’s homes to another, always
avoiding the snow and ensuring that she spent her summers in WY.
Music was food to her soul and boy did she love to dance!  She often said, “I’d rather dance than eat” and dance
she did.  She was laughing and dancing three days prior to succumbing to complications from pneumonia and
congestive heart failure.  Malene loved people and people adored her.  As the family traveled, she introduced
them to all her new ‘best’ friends she had met on the plane, in the restaurant, at the hotel, in the parking lot, in
church, wherever.  She did not know a stranger and always saw the very best in people.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 41 years; her siblings Norman “Squeaky”
Bauer, Martha Lenze, Clarice “Tootie” Bauer; her sons-in-law Owen Jones and Mike DePre; and granddaughter,
Lauren Elizabeth Brown.
Malene is survived by her brother, George Bauer of St. Mary’s; her six children: Anne (Mitch) Miles of Afton WY,
Lynn Jones of Asotin WA, Louise DePre of The Villages FL, Jane Brown of Naples FL, Teresa (Fred) Chapman of El
Dorado Hills CA and Michael (Jeanette) Wegemer of Joliet IL; her seven grandchildren: Christie Arnold, Aaron
Arnold, Ashley Brown, Stephanie Brown, Robert “Bobby” Nyberg, Lindsey Bryner, Brian Wegemer; and 10 great-
grandchildren: Aston Arnold, Shelby Bryner, Alexis Bryner, Layla Bryner, Levi Nyberg, Scarlett Nyberg, Adelaide
Wegemer, Adeline Miles, Everly Miles and Chase Miles.
A funeral mass, graveside service and open house are planned for August 8, 2023 in Afton, WY. Specific times will
be released once details are finalized. All friends and family are welcomed with open arms. In lieu of flowers,
please consider donations to the American Cancer Society, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Hospice, or a
charity of your choice.
The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to the doctors, nurses, clinicians, and so many others at
the HCA Florida West Marion Hospital in Ocala, FL for their professional and compassionate care in keeping our
mother comfortable and at peace throughout her entire stay.