The Mansfield Police Department is bidding farewell to the “Last of the Legends,” Lt. John Wendling. Wendling announced his retirement from the police department, effective Monday, June 2.
Friends, family, colleagues, and community members piled into the City Council Chambers on Friday afternoon to honor Wendling for his 46 years of service.
“John is the last of the legends and icons of the police department,” Police Chief Ken Coontz stated. “You can’t imagine the knowledge that he has and what we’re losing as a police department.”
A Mansfield native, Wendling graduated from Mansfield St. Peter’s and served in the U.S. Marine Corp with his brothers. Afterwards, he worked at Westinghouse and General Motors.
“One day, one of my friends that I ran into downtown said, ‘Hey, I’m taking a police test, why don’t you go with me and take one, too?’ So I went and took it and here I am today,” Wendling said.
Wendling was the first within his family to join the Mansfield Police Department and the last to leave. His brothers, Joe, Jim, and Jan, and cousin Gordon Wendling, also served in the department. Altogether, the Wendlings have dedicated 164 years to the Mansfield Police Department. “And I’ve had half of them,” John Wendling said with a laugh.
Wendling joined the Mansfield Police Department on June 10, 1968, was promoted to sergeant on May 21, 1995, and to lieutenant on April 7, 2000.
He began his career in the Patrol Bureau and was a watch commander before being assigned supervisor of the Detective Section working for Metro Narcotics, and the newly formed Special Investigative Unit.
“It was a great career and I wouldn’t change anything because I enjoyed it and I’m going to miss it. But you get to a point in life where things change and you have to be smart enough to know that that’s the time to leave and that’s the point where I am at now,” Wendling said.
“John represents a loss to the Mansfield Police Department and citizens of the community, and culminates a career that has exemplified the best qualities a law enforcement professional can have,” Coontz said.
In addition to his dedication and loyalty, members of the department agreed that they will miss Wendling’s stories.
“We will miss your stories, your wisdom, and your take on whatever situation, your sense of humor, your patience, and undoubted determination. But what we will miss most of all is your stories and the laughter that we share and know that when you leave there will be no one that compares,” said Deb Phillips, transcriber for the department. Phillips wrote Wendling a poem in his honor.
Even community members appreciate his stories. “We have only known Lt. Wendling for a few years, but in that time we have come to know him as a great story teller,” said Deborah Mount on behalf of the Mount family.
The Mount family (Mary, Deborah, Bethany, Gabriel, and Evangeline) presented Wendling with a homemade donut figurine in gratitude of one of the stories Wendling shared with them about how people got the notion that police officers eat donuts.
Wendling also received a retirement badge from the Mansfield Police Patrolmen Association and a legion merit award from the Honor Guard.
During his retirement, he plans on traveling with his wife, Karen. “I would like to go see some castles in Switzerland, Germany and Austria,” he said.
Wendling is supported by his wife and 10 children: Scott, Chris, Matthew, Mark, Michael, Jeff, Bryan, Eric, Shelley and Tracey.
“I leave here not with mixed emotions. I’m as happy today as I was the first day I showed up for the job, and if you can say that, you had a good career,” Wendling said.
