I’ve had the privilege of accompanying Werner and his sons on three class trips and have also taken multiple classes taught by him. I can’t adequately express the profound impact he had on me as a professor and even more so as a person. Werner taught me a valuable lesson about how a father can nurture his children with love and respect, fostering their growth and development. Whenever I was in the presence of Werner and his family, I felt a deep sense of belonging and connectedness, as if I were an integral part of their extended family. Thank you for the great memories.

My memory of Werner

One of Werner's favorite quotes:

"To go in the dark with a light

is to know the light.

To know the dark, go dark.

Go without sight, and find that

the dark, too, blooms and sings,

and is traveled

by dark feet and dark wings."

- Wendell Berry, To Know the Dark

Without Werner, I would not have this life.

31 years ago, it was my first semester in college. He was the embodiment of a mind expanding Philosophy professor. He used to talk about religion, philosophy, his travel adventures, his wife and his family. He was so proud of his five sons and used to occasionally mention Robin. And I remember thinking, "If he's this cool, I wonder what his son is like!" I loved his class so much that I decided to take Honors Ethics with him the next semester.

That first day of class, Robin walked in. His dad put his arm around his shoulders and proudly declared, "This is my son, Robin." No joke, I was *immediately* smitten. Over the next few months of class, I'd ask Robin to hang out after class and eventually worked up the nerve to invite him to see a play with me.

Now that same evening, Robin called. I was ecstatic but I had never given him my number. Turns out Werner had. He saw us both tip toeing around our crush and he decided to give us the shove we needed. And we've been together ever since.

At our engagement, Robin's dad shared that he thought I'd be a good match for Robin that first semester and convinced Robin to take his second semester class so we'd meet. And, hey, it worked! 💘

So thanks to him, I've shared my life and built a home and become a parent with Robin. And I've had the blessing of being a part of the wonderful Krieglstein family for all these years.

I'll always be hold his bright laugh and warm hug deep in my heart. We'll miss you dearly, we love you.