Rex Wentzel, 88 of Sioux City, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, December 6, 2022 at MercyOne Medical Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Memorial Service will be 10:00 a.m., Monday, December 12, 2022 at First Presbyterian Church in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Burial will be at Memorial Park Cemetery at a later date.

Rex was born on Sept. 26, 1934, in Hartford, Wisconsin.

He received his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1959 and went on to pastor Presbyterian churches in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

Rex was a man of deep thought, keen observation, wry humor, kind gestures and simple habits. He was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, and a loyal friend. He gave generously to a number of causes, including the Sioux City Gospel Mission and Food Bank. Supporting disadvantaged peoples in developing countries through the gift of livestock – particularly chickens – purchased through the Presbyterian Giving Catalog, became a favorite cause of his in later years, earning him the honorary title of the "Chicken Man." In 2019 this effort was acknowledged with an event called "The Feeding of the 500,000" held at the First Presbyterian Church of South Sioux City.

When not baking muffins to give away, canning produce from his garden or cheering on the Packers, Rex was writing: sermons, verses that ranged from frolicking limericks to deep meditations on life and faith, and well over a dozen short books on a wide variety of topics that reflected his faith and down-to-earth values. He shared these writings regularly with a wide circle of friends and family.

Rex touched innumerable lives in his quiet, understated way, and though he will be missed sorely, his legacy of loving service will bear fruit for generations to come.