Roger J. Goenner

Roger Goenner, 86, of Mt. Pleasant, passed away Thursday, July 7, 2011, at Highview Hills in Lakeville, Minnesota. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 13, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with Father Loren Kalinowski presiding. His ashes will be interred immediately following in Calvary Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home on Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. with the Vigil beginning at 7:30 p.m. Visitation continues at the church on Wednesday one hour prior to the Mass. Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider the Roger and Alice Goenner Scholarship Fund or Sacred Heart Academy Foundation. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home or church. Roger was born Oct. 18, 1924, in St. Cloud, MN, the son of the late Norbert and Florence (Eckstein) Goenner. After graduating from Clear Lake High School in 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Army where he served as a combat engineer during World War II from 1943-1946. He married Alice Johnson on Nov. 27, 1947 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Waite Park, MN, the same year he received his bachelors degree from St. Cloud State. He continued his studies and obtained a masters degree from Northern Colorado University in 1951, and doctorate from the University of Wyoming in 1958. That year he and his family moved to Mt. Pleasant where he worked at Central Michigan University as a professor in school administration until his retirement in 1988. He was elected to the Michigan Education Hall of Fame in 1990, and was a member of Sacred Heart Parish, Rotary (where he had perfect attendance), Phi Delta Kappa, Boy Scouts, AASA (American Association of School Administrators) NOLPE (National Organization of Legal Problems in Education) and the NEA (National Education Association). He enjoyed traveling, having visited all 50 states, hunting, fishing, gardening and golfing. But of all of his accomplishments, his family was his finest. Roger is survived by his wife of over 63 years, Alice Goenner; five children, Marilyn (Willie) Hicks of Mesquite, TX, Roger K. (Lehua) Goenner of Billings, MT, Carol (Michael) Gerbensky of Apple Valley, MN; Patricia (Dave) Bednarz of Huntertown, IN, and James (Theresa) Goenner of Mt. Pleasant; son-in-law, Don Miller of Burlington, WY; 18 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kathryn Miller in 2001.