Wender died Thursday at his home at age 93, less than 13 months after his most recent county board term had ended.

“He was admired far and wide for his ability to run a meeting,” said former County Commissioner Ann Martin of Iron Mountain.

While Wender was intent on listening and presiding over discussion, he was also keen at “knowing when discussion should end,” Martin said. “He moved business along.”

Wender, as chairman, emphasized the interests of taxpayers over expanding the reach of the county.

Henry Wender

During his tenure, Dickinson County Healthcare System became part of Marshfield Clinic Health System. The county also separated from a community center, a senior center and several parks, all of which continued operations.

Brian Bousley, who came to Dickinson County as controller in late 2016 after holding a similar position in Menominee County, said Wender “greeted me with open arms and welcomed my family into the fray from day one.”

Wender, he said, “was not afraid to say what was on his mind, which I admired, as you always knew how he felt.”

There was a lighter side, too, as Bousley recalls “the looks and the winks he would shoot at me during county board meetings.”

When citizens raised complaints during a contentious meeting over finances in May 2016, Wender offered from the chair, “Anyone have any compliments for the board out there?”

Wender, a Republican, served with GOP-majority county boards throughout his time as chairman. Prior to becoming a commissioner, he served 12 years on the Breitung Township Board. He also held the position of chairman during some of his earlier terms as a 35-year county commissioner.

His campaigns for office were usually low-key, as he tried to promote both a fair return on tax dollars and appreciation for county employees.

“It was a true privilege to serve with Commissioner Wender during my term of service from 2013 to 2024,” said former Commissioner Barbara Kramer of Iron Mountain. “He taught me much about my role as an elected official. I will always be grateful for his steady example of consistency, fair-mindedness, and integrity. He will be missed.”

In 2021, Wender signed on to a letter suggested by then-Commissioner John Degenaer Jr. of Norway — the lone Democrat on the board — supporting state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, for his work as chairman of the Senate’s Oversight Committee.

The committee had found no evidence of widespread or systematic election fraud in Michigan’s 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden and the letter praised McBroom for “honest communications” and “unwavering integrity” in his role as chairman.

Martin said Wender worked to keep “the county and the courthouse running smoothly.”

He made it a point to communicate to other commissioners “that what we said and did was important and worthwhile,” she said. The longtime chairman, Martin continued, “was a champion of the entire county but especially the road commission, the Dickinson County Fair and the stock car races.”

And the Green Bay Packers.

Monday night meetings moved quickly if a Packers kickoff was looming.

“We would talk county business, of course, but would also talk about family and end with Packers football,” Bousley recalled.

Commissioner Joe Stevens of Kingsford, the only current board member to have served with Wender, described him as a “great county commissioner.”

Wender, he added, “was one of a kind. He was good for the community and I was glad to be able to serve with him. I thought the world of Henry.”

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Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.