Dr. Wallace A. Winegar Jr. passed away in Albert Lea, Minnesota, on Jan. 21, 2015.

Wally was born Feb. 24, 1922, on the family farm near Brandon, Iowa. He was the only child of Wallace A. Winegar Sr. and Gladys (Detrick) Winegar. As a boy, he rode horses, hunted, and fished on the Cedar River that ran through the farm and in nearby Winegar Lake. When he was injured in a riding accident, a chiropractor treated him, and Wally was so impressed that he chose that career. Wally attended Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa. He and Glenniss Nadine “Deanne” Greenwalt of Mount Auburn, Iowa, were married at the little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa, in 1945 when he was on leave as radioman from the U.S. Naval Air Corps. The couple lived on bases from California to Virginia, and after the war, they moved to Chicago where he received his chiropractic degree from the National College of Chiropractic. His established his first practice in Wells, Minnesota, then moved to Albert Lea in 1955.

He was a member of the Albert Lea City Council from 1964 to 1969, served as a trustee and Sunday school teacher of the First Methodist Church of Albert Lea, den leader of a Boy Scout troop, a 71-year member of Western Star Lodge 26, a member of American Legion Post 56 and of Toastmasters. He was a founder of The Big Island Rendezvous, a historical reenactment of the fur trade era, and served on the its board from 1986 to 1992. He lobbied the city council for bridle paths for local riders and the school board for equal sports opportunities for girls. He attended his children and grand children’s athletic, artistic and musical events and took great interest their education and adventures.

In addition to fishing and hunting, he loved archery and made his own bows, collected rifles and crafted black powder rifles, fashioned jewelry, scouted for arrowheads, and traded and collected scrimshaw, rocks, and Chinese and Japanese weapons. He played the organ, liked golf and bowling, a good pipe and valued conversation with a wide range of people, patients and friends. He enjoyed travel with his wife and friends with an interest in native cultures, healing arts and history. Wally loved reading, devoured books and magazines and was equally comfortable with “The Economist,” “Field & Stream,” “The New Yorker” or a treatise on energy healing.

He was an early student of Chinese medicine and acupuncture when it arrived in the West and incorporated it into his practice with gratifying results. He made house calls to patients on farms and in small towns, stopping to fish the streams and explore historic sites. He accepted what people could pay, which sometimes meant chickens, a side of beef or vegetables. When he retired unwillingly in 2008 due to complications from Meniereʼs disease, he was the longest full-time practicing chiropractor in the state of Minnesota.

He read widely, thought deeply and acted kindly to everyone. His curiosity, love of nature, talent for gardening and sense of humor live on in his family.

He is survived by his wife Deanne; and their daughters: Karin, Gayle, and Jill Winegar; as well as grandchildren: Zosha Winegar-Schultz and Ryder Winegar Marsden, all of St. Paul, Minnesota; and by nieces Judy (Pollock) Carpenter (Bob), Carol (Pollock) Slife (Jim); great-niece Suzanne Greenwalt and great-great niece Lydia Greenwalt-Hamil.

The family is grateful for the love and support of Wallyʼs many friends including his oldest friend Bob Sherman, and to recent friend Dr. John Peterson, recent supporters Kim Barr, Barbara Hamberg, David Milang and Chip Demann. A celebration of his life will be held May 30 in Albert Lea at a location to be announced. Memorials may be sent to The Big Island Rendezvous or The Humane Society of Freeborn County.