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.”
