Bio: Schlinkert, Clarence – Generous Donations (2019)

Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

----Surnames: Schlinkert, Bieneck, Evanson

----Source: Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark, Co) 10/23/2019

Neillsville Resident Donated Over $120k to Community Causes (Schlinkert - 2019)



Clarence Schlinkert

By Valerie Brecht

Neillsville resident has left his mark on the community, not only in the way he lived his life but also in the financial contributions he willed to various community entities.

Last month, the Neillsville city council accepted a donation of $31,023.41 that Schlinkert willed to the public library.

“He loved to read … He had lots and lots of books and quite a video collection,” said Roy Bieneck, who was Schlinkert’s first cousin once removed and the executor of his estate.

Schlinkert regularly read the newspaper and saved issues of big events like the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor. He subscribed to several magazines, including National Geographic, Workbench, Model Builders, aviation magazines like Wings and train magazines.

Schlinkert completed a number of correspondence degrees through the mail in subjects like fixing electronics and radios.

“Education was important to him,’ Bieneck summarized. Since Schlinkert placed such a high priority on learning, Bieneck figured that’s why he wanted to donate to the library.

Schlinker also willed roughly $62,000 to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, of which he was a lifetime member. He served on the church council for many years and was instrumental in the construction of the church building in 1968. He did repairs and maintenance work for both the church and school. For years, he picked up several elderly ladies that couldn’t drive and took them back and forth to church each Sunday.

Schlinkert gave approximately $10,000 to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield (now Marshfield Medical Center) and another $10,000 to Memorial Medical Center (now Marshfield Medical Center-Neillsville). He was very fond of children, so the donations he gave were specified to go to pediatrics.

Lastly, about $10,000 went to the Salvation Army. Bieneck said he has been in communication with the Salvation Army headquarters and most of the funds donated will be coming back to the county to meet local needs.

“He was a community-oriented, so I think that’s why [he donated the money] … He helped a lot of people. He’s a guy that would do anything for anybody,” said Bieneck.

Schlinkert enjoyed visiting with people and telling stories about the past. He had many friends in the community.

Schlinkert passed away in January 2018 at the age of 96. By all accounts, he lived a full life.

Schlinkert was born on July 12, 1921 in Clark County, the son of William and Emma (Bieneck) Schlinkert. He attended St. John’s Lutheran School and graduated from Neillsville High School in 1941. After high school, he wanted to join the service and fly airplanes but didn’t qualify due to a medical condition, so he worked as a welder in Milwaukee for some time.

Schlinkert then came back to Neillsville and lived with his mother and brother on a farm on Cemetery Road behind the bus depot. On the farm, he and his family raised chickens and sold eggs. They also took care of beef cattle, hogs and sheep, and helped local farmers with their crops. Along with working on the farm, Schlinkert worked for the American Foods Condensery until it closed. After that, he worked in maintenance at Memorial Medical Center.

Schlinkert also worked as the local handyman, doing everything from fixing a leaky faucet to repairing oil furnaces.

“The biggest thing was around town, he did everything,” said Bieneck, Schlinkert’s caretaker in later years. “ He was a plumber. He was a painter – he painted a lot of houses. He did electrical work, just about any kind of maintenance that anybody needed, whether it was someone needing concrete poured or whatever, he did it … He also did a lot of car repair [and] truck repair and painted cars. He had a shop there where he did just about anything.

“He was very ingenious, you might say. When he needed something to do a particular job he needed to do and he didn’t [have it], he would make something or invent some sort of tool to make it work,” said Bieneck.

Schlinkert was a man of many interests. His chief interest was airplanes and he possessed a pilot’s license. He and his friend Orville Evanson flew a Piper Cub airplane. Schlinkert restored and rebuilt four airplanes for different people over the years. He built model airplanes as well. Schlinkert mowed the field for the airport back when it was out by Snyder County Park. He also made it a point to visit the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Show in Oshkosh every year.

Schlinkert took interest in trains, too - particularly the old steam engines. He attended the Strum Steam Engine Days for many years.

Another hobby of Schlinkert’s was taking photographs.

“Probably any building that was torn down or erected or bridges in Neillsville or in the area, he had pictures of it,” said Bieneck.

Schlinkert was interested in politics and wrote letters to politicians.

Schlinkert also enjoyed animals and had animals on the farm until around 2000. He always put out bird feeders and had many books on the different types of birds.

“He was well-rounded and had a lot of interests,” said Bieneck.

“He didn’t spend money foolishly, so I guess that’s why he ended up with what he did have,” Bieneck said. “Not necessarily that he was frugal or anything like that – he had everything that he needed. He wasn’t extravagant; he enjoyed doing a lot of the simple things.”

 

 

 


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