It’s hard to find someone in New Lenox who didn’t know Larry Wennlund who did a lot for people in more than 50 years of public service.
Wennlund, a former District 122 teacher, was an Illinois state representative, Lincoln-Way School District 122 Board member and president, Lions Club president, New Lenox Park District legal counsel and New Lenox Township trustee and clerk. He was also a longtime attorney. Wennlund died May 15 at age 80.
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann remembers Wennlund as a mentor when he and his family first moved to New Lenox, then again as he became an elected official.
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“Larry was one of the first people I got to meet here some 30 years ago,” Baldermann said. “He did so much for our town by laying a foundation for the success we’re having today. What I remember the most is that he was dependable. An intelligent man. There were a handful of people I’d go to for questions and advice, and Larry was in that small circle.”
New Lenox Township Trustee Martin Boban said Wennlund’s dedication and commitment to the people he served was like none other.
“If there was a problem in the township, he made sure it was resolved,” Boban said. “If a resident needed something, they got what they needed regardless if he knew them.”
Boban said Wennlund set a bar high for public service.
“He reminded me that I should be held to the same standards as him,” Boban said. “I think he saw in me someone who would be as relentless as he was in making sure we got things resolved.
“I think he was a mentor to a lot of elected officials, not just the township but park district board and school board,” Boban said.
Brian Fischer, vice president of the New Lenox Community Park Board and member of the New Lenox Lions Club, remembers Wennlund as his grade school history teacher.
“At the time he was at Oakview School,” Fischer said. “Even as a 10-year-old kid, I remember Larry as a nice teacher, not the one to really discipline, but was respected.”
As a member of the New Lenox Lions Club, Fischer said Wennlund always found time to help and serve.
“You have to remember, he was a leader for half a century,” Fischer said. “My wife and I were just talking about when we joined the Lions Club and how we thought it was such a big deal when Larry came around. He always had good, sound advice. And the Lions Club is 100% volunteer-based, and no matter how busy he was, Larry always found time to help out.”
As a state representative, Wennlund launched a popular contest in 1990 called “There Ought to Be a Law” asking people to send ideas of what should be made into law. He received more than 300 submissions and told the New Lenox Journal “People have good ideas — good, practical ideas. This is just a way to get those ideas to somebody who can do something about them.”
Wennlund’s public service extended beyond New Lenox during his time as a state representative. He served three terms in an earlier district which also included Frankfort, Matteson, Mokena, Orland Park, Orland Hills and Richton Park.
Visitation will be from 3-7 p.m. Friday at Kurtz Memorial Chapel, 102 E. Francis Road, New Lenox. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 508 N. Cedar Road, New Lenox.
Hannah Kohut is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.