Obituary of Siegfried Wenzel

Dr. Siegfried Wenzel passed away suddenly from complications of pneumonia on September 27, 2024. He was 96. He was a professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1960 to 1975, and the University of Pennsylvania from 1975 until his retirement in 1996.

Siegfried was born in 1928 in Bernsdorf, a small town in eastern Germany near the Polish border, the only child of a foundry engineer (Paul) and typist (Marie Schindler). After a stint of a few years outside of Primkenau, the family moved to Chemnitz when Siegfried was 10. After completing high school in August 1946, the family snuck across the border from the Soviet-controlled zone of Germany west to the British-controlled zone, eventually settling in Heidem north of Hamburg. Three years later, after his father received a job offer from a factory in Brazil, the family left war-torn Germany and settled in Joinville, Brazil, a settlement of mostly-German expats established in the 1850s. Siegfried learned Portuguese, and earned a BA and teaching diploma from the University of Paraná in Curitiba in 1954. He then traveled to the U.S. where he earned an MA in English Literature from Ohio University in Athens in 1956, and a PhD in English Literature from The Ohio State University in 1960. His love of philology (the study of words) is reflected in the many languages he learned and spoke throughout his lifetime: German, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, English, and Portuguese.

While a full professor at UNC and Penn, Siegfried wrote widely on medieval vices and virtues, as well as on Chaucer, Langland, and many aspects of Middle English literature, including analysis of religious texts. Having been a Guggenheim Fellow twice and recipient of fellowships from American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), he edited several Latin texts with translations, resulting in twelve published books and numerous scholarly articles related to medieval sermons. He was a fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, which awarded Siegfried its Haskins Medal in 1996 for his book on Macaronic Sermons. He guided multiple students through the completion of their doctorate degrees; these scholars are now at the forefront of the field. While he retired from teaching in 1996, he continued his research, writing, and publishing for many years until shortly before his passing. As in one of his favorite medieval sayings, “if there is paradise on earth, it is either in the cloister or in the study.”

While at Ohio State, he met Elizabeth Brown, a fellow English PhD student. They married in December 1958 and spent 38 happy years together raising four children in Chapel Hill, NC and Swarthmore, PA until her untimely death in 1996. Siegfried was looking forward to seeing his wife again after his own death. In 2009 he moved to the Carol Woods Retirement Community, where he made numerous friends and spent many happy dinners discussing everything from Vatican II to the latest episode of NCIS.

Siegfried enjoyed travel. He brought his family to Europe during summers and three sabbatical years (in London, Oxford, and Rome) to discover medieval manuscripts in the British Museum and the Vatican Library that needed translating, exploring British and Italian culture with the family on weekends. He and Elizabeth returned to London for a year to lead Penn’s international exchange program at King’s College. During one sabbatical year he vowed (or threatened) to visit each of the over 900 Catholic churches in Rome. The entire family greatly enjoyed annual two-week summer vacations hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, including several trips on foot up Mount Washington with their beloved white Spitz Bianca in tow (or at times in someone’s arms). He also took his adult children on summer trips to Europe to revisit his familial roots in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. He enthusiastically embraced new technology, and would eagerly learn about how the latest software or gadget could facilitate his scholarly research.

Siegfried was a very devout Catholic, having converted to the faith as a young man; he was a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church and Parish in Chapel Hill. He served several years as a catechist, discussing the Sunday readings with people who wanted to become Catholics.

Siegfried was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He is survived by four children and five grandchildren: Anne Wenzel, husband David Miller, grandchildren Emily and Jeremy; Margie (Kate) Wenzel, husband Will Bayley, granddaughter Clare; Tom Wenzel, wife Julia Bailey, grandsons Andy and Matt; and Liesbeth Wenzel. His wife of 38 years, Elizabeth Brown, predeceased him in September 1996.

Funeral services will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill, on Monday, October 14 at 10:30 am. The family will hold a celebration of Siegfried’s life Saturday, October 12 at 2:00 pm, at the Carol Woods Retirement Community Assembly Hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. Thomas More Catholic Church (RCIA programs) or Carol Woods. The Wenzel family wishes to thank the staff at Carol Woods and UNC Medical Center for their extraordinary care and concern in Siegfried’s final hours.