Theodore “Ted” P. Blomenberg, 76, of Decatur, Indiana, passed away Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at Lutheran Hospital in Ft. Wayne. He was recovering from a recent heart procedure but an accidental fall following his return home led to complications that ultimately caused his demise.
Ted was born July 28, 1944, in Columbus, Indiana, the first of eight children born to the late Gilbert P. Blomenberg and Bertha Marie (Koch) Blomenberg. He lived in Columbus until he was 16 years old, attending St. Peter’s Lutheran School and Columbus High School. In 1960, Ted’s family moved to Seward, when his father accepted a professorial position at Concordia Teachers College (now Concordia University). Ted completed his junior and senior years at Concordia High School in Seward, graduating in 1962. He graduated from Concordia University in 1966 with a B.S. degree in education.
Ted was united in marriage to Saundra “Sandy” Niedens (whom he met at Concordia) on June 12, 1966, in Great Bend, Kansas. They then settled in Higginsville, Missouri, where they taught at Immanuel Lutheran School for a couple years.
They relocated to Columbus, Indiana, when Ted decided to pursue further education at Indiana University. He finished his graduate studies in audiovisual education at IU in August 1975, earning the Doctorate in Education degree. Dr. Ted then accepted a position at the University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), where he was director of the bio-medical Audio-Visual Center and responsible for developing, documenting and illustrating medical procedures for use as teaching material by faculty of the university’s School of Medicine.
During the 1980s, the family moved to the Blomenberg family farm in Decatur, Indiana. Ted taught briefly at St. Peter’s Lutheran School in Huntington. His wife, Sandy, was a teacher for many years at St. Peter – Immanuel Lutheran School, Decatur.
Ted will best be remembered for his keen interest and activity in varied restoration and historical preservation projects. In the late 1980s, he volunteered to help Mennonites in the Berne, Indiana, area restore their first church. He traded his labor in an effort to gain access to a vacant house in the Friedheim area that was once owned by Friedrich Conrad Dietrich Wyneken (1810-1876), an Indiana pioneer religious leader. The relocation and restoration of this house became Ted’s labor of love for many years. Ted’s continued and focused efforts eventually attracted additional support and led to the formation in 2004 of The Friends of Wyneken, a committee of members of the Indiana German Heritage Society. Ted served as president of this organization for several years. The Friends of Wyneken organization has successfully moved the Wyneken house to its current location on Winchester Road where restoration work continues. The home will be used as an Educational Center to promote the significance of the Adams County area’s German-American heritage.
Ted had a phenomenal memory. As a result, he was the regular ‘checkpoint’ for facts during Blomenberg family discussions about past events and people (particularly those in Indiana). ‘I’m going to check this out with Ted’ was the typical comment by his siblings. And invariably, Ted would then share corrections as well as additional details for the event being discussed. He will be greatly missed by his family.
Ted was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church – Friedheim, where his great-grandfather, Rev. C.B. Preuss, was pastor for 43 years. His paternal grandparents, M.C. and Esther (Preuss) Blomenberg were also members there for many years.
Ted is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sandy Blomenberg, of Decatur, Indiana; son, David Blomenberg of Indianapolis, Indiana; son, Erik (Emily) Blomenberg of Dandridge, Tennessee; daughter, Beth (Scott) McCloskey of Missouri City, Texas; sister, Dr. Paula (Charles Rager) Blomenberg of Seward; brother, John (Susan Ann) Blomenberg of Seward; sister, Rhoda (Dr. Dominick) Toulouse of Seattle, Washington; brother, Dr. Daniel (Deanna) Blomenberg of Norfolk; sister, Andrea (Drew) Woodburn of York; sister-in-law, Janeen Blomenberg of Columbus, Indiana; and four grandchildren, Michael Blomenberg, Brandon McCloskey, Joshua Blomenberg and Madison McCloskey.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Sarah Blomenberg; and a brother, James Blomenberg.
A private family service will be held. Burial will follow at Zion Lutheran Church at Friedheim.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions are suggested to the Friends of Wyneken (http://friendsofwyneken.org/) and sent to Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home in Decatur, Indiana.
Ted is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sandy Blomenberg, of Decatur, Indiana; son, David Blomenberg of Indianapolis, Indiana; son, Erik (Emily) Blomenberg of Dandridge, Tennessee; daughter, Beth (Scott) McCloskey of Missouri City, Texas; sister, Dr. Paula (Charles Rager) Blomenberg of Seward; brother, John (Susan Ann) Blomenberg of Seward; sister, Rhoda (Dr. Dominick) Toulouse of Seattle, Washington; brother, Dr. Daniel (Deanna) Blomenberg of Norfolk; sister, Andrea (Drew) Woodburn of York; sister-in-law, Janeen Blomenberg of Columbus, Indiana; and four grandchildren, Michael Blomenberg, Brandon McCloskey, Joshua Blomenberg and Madison McCloskey.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Sarah Blomenberg; and a brother, James Blomenberg.
A private family service will be held. Burial will follow at Zion Lutheran Church at Friedheim.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions are suggested to the Friends of Wyneken (http://friendsofwyneken.org/) and sent to Zwick & Jahn Funeral Home in Decatur, Indiana.
