05/22/2026
Claiming the promises of baptism
Rev. Mary Stanley Weinkauf
September 22, 1938 - May 19, 2026
“Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
– Romans 14:8
We give thanks to God and celebrate the life and ministry of the Rev. Mary Weinkauf, age 87, who died on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Mary Stanley Weinkauf was born to Joe and Marie Stanley in Eau Claire, Wisconsin on September 22, 1938, and raised by Fred and Barbara Holzinger. She learned to play the pump organ for Sunday School at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Eau Claire, sparking a lifelong passion for music. Mary received a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education and English from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1961, and an MA and PhD from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1966. Mary was a college professor from 1966 to 1989, when she left a tenured position as Professor of English, Department and Division Chair at Dakota Wesleyan University to attend the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Upon graduation from LSTC and ordination in 1993, Pastor Weinkauf was called to serve the congregations of Siloa, Ontonagon and Faith, White Pine, Michigan. In 1997, she accepted a call to Calvary Lutheran Church in Minocqua, Wisconsin, where she served until her retirement in 2005.
Throughout her life and ministry, Pastor Weinkauf participated in a wide range of Synod and community programs. She served as Dean and an instructor in the Synod’s Lay School for Mission – Minocqua Campus from 2006-2013, as well as the NGLS Campground Ministry Committee. Following retirement, Pastor Mary often substituted as organist or provided pulpit supply for area congregations. Her community involvement included service on the Habitat for Humanity, Thrivent, and area Food Pantry Boards, and the Delta Kappa Gamma Society. Mary authored numerous creative works, including “Hard-Boiled Heretic, Sermons in Science Fiction” and “Murder Most Poetic.”
She married her college sweetheart, Alan Weinkauf, and they were the parents of two children. Her husband was killed in a car crash in November of 2000.
The funeral service for Pastor Mary Weinkauf will be held at 10:00 a.m. (CT) on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 at Calvary Lutheran Church, 8632 U.S. Highway 51, Minocqua, WI. Visitation will take place prior to the service, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (CT).
We praise God for the life of the Rev. Mary Weinkauf. In Christ shall all be made alive!
