Bradley Wenger

Bradley David Wenger March 21, 1970 - September 15, 2019 How to condense the life of Bradley Wenger into a few paragraphs? To those who knew and loved him, he was larger than life. To his wife and family he was life. Brad's story begins in the Chambersburg Hospital on March 21, the first full day of spring, in 1970. He came home to Newburg a few days later in the midst of an early spring blizzard. He is remembered as the little kid who rode his Hot Wheels tricycle in front of the house and sat along the driveway making roads in the gravel for his Matchbox cars. Being the son of parents who valued traditional handcrafts and homesteading practices, Brad grew up with a sense of history. After a 5th grade field trip to Gettysburg, he became interested in the Civil War era. As a young teenager he had the opportunity to join a Civil War re-enactment group which started his life-long interest in living history. He was too young to carry a rifle so he became a drummer boy, taught by Parker Bandy who has continued to be a friend to Brad throughout his life. By the time he graduated from Shippensburg Area High School, he had experience in Revolutionary War, and both confederate and union Civil War historic impressions. After graduation, Brad was employed at Beidle Printing and as a DJ for WSHP radio station. As a teenager, Brad taught himself to cook. He eventually decided to make being a chef his vocation and worked in many of the fine dining restaurants in the area. All throughout he continued to go to re-enactments on the weekends, but working in the food industry did not give him the time he hoped for to pursue his hobby. He got a job at an ink making plant which gave him more flexible hours for his new interest in WW1 and WW2 re-enacting. Because of his German heritage, Brad decided to portray the life of the common German soldier when he joined the group Grossdeutschland. He became their cook and manager of the field kitchen. He also wrote an informal newsletter with history and information about the group. In 2007, while doing a living history event at Old Bedford Village, Brad met Kami Crawford, who was a historic interpreter at the village. By the end of the weekend, they had formed a bond that would last for the rest of his life. Shortly thereafter she moved into his home in Fayetteville, PA. They were married a year later. Their relationship was a total commitment to each other, a love story of two people who were made to be together. Throughout his adulthood, Brad had suffered from anxiety disorder, depression, and addiction issues. Kami gave him the courage to find his inner strength and overcome his disabilities. He had been drug-free and sober for the past ten years. They filled the missing pieces in each other's lives. When Brad was laid off from his ink making job, he and Kami decided to make their re-enacting hobby into a business. They began producing uniforms and accessories for women and children who were interested in a German historic impression. They also went to flea markets and yard sales to find antiques and collectibles that they could sell. In 2013, Brad and Kami closed their uniform business and moved to Newburg, into Brad's childhood home to be with his parents. Glenn and Pat were getting older and were not able to do all the home maintenance and yard work so were happy to have the help of their son and daughter. This was a positive move for both families. By now Brad was focusing all his energy into WW1 history. He and his best friend began the German unit Infanterie Regiment 52, 6th Brandenburgisches, Von Alvensleben, of which Brad became the unit commander. Brad also was hired by Village Restoration as a historic interpreter at the Army Heritage Center in Carlisle, PA. This was his all-time favorite employment. He loved dressing in his uniform and displaying his equipment for the school groups who visited the German pillbox bunker as part of their field trip. His amazing storytelling ability and quick sense of humor entertained and educated both kids and adults. Brad could make history fun and interesting. In February of this year Brad suffered from what he thought was a pulled muscle in his upper back. The pain became so bad he had to go to the ER. It was there that the tests began that diagnosed him with stage four lung cancer. Chemo treatments were started and they seemed to be effective at first. The good news did not last. On Sunday morning, September 15, Brad passed away with Kami and his parents by his bedside. Brad requested to be cremated. His ashes have been placed in his favorite antique tin box and will be displayed on the shelf beside the urn of his beloved cat, Whisker Woman. Brad was many things. He had an unforgettable personality, a love of life, a dry sense of humor with a significant eye roll. He was a craftsman who could paint and fix and re-purpose broken things, a hard worker when the work interested him. He enjoyed gardening and could turn a weedy piece of ground into a flowerbed worthy of a magazine photo. He loved fun, telling a good story, reminiscing about back-in-the-day, laughing at his follies and mistakes. He loved his cats- Ernie, Toby, and his favorite Whiskers- and cried when they passed away. He had a kind heart and an old soul. But his greatest gift was his ability to relate to people. Brad did not have acquaintances. He had FRIENDS. Many friends. Everyone he met was a potential friend. He loved people and they loved him. Left behind in sorrow are his wife Kami, his parents Pat and Glenn, his daughter Emily, his son Cody, his grandmothers Judy Wrights, Christine Wenger, and Peg Crawford, his cat Cosmo and many aunts uncles and cousins. And of course his friends. We love you Brad. We miss you and will never forget you. Rest in Peace. Professional services are entrusted to Dugan Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., Shippensburg. A memorial service for Brad will be held at a later date. If you would like to be notified of the date, time and place, please email patandzip@hotmail.com. Please put 'Brad's memorial' in the subject line so it doesn't get deleted in my junk mail.