ARGYLE — It might have been being separated from her own family that made the importance of keeping in touch, getting together and enjoying the company of others to the forefront of Emma Wenger’s world. She isn’t sure where it came from — but she was able to find all she lost in a family of her own choosing — rising after hardship. 

Now just weeks away from turning 90, the longtime Argyle resident and business owner said she’s reveled in the closeness of her community and family support.  

She was born in Mineral Point and was the tenth of 12 children. The family lived just off of Shake Rag Alley in a two-bedroom home with an outhouse, she said. She has memories with her siblings at the playground and at the pool in town. She recalls sitting at the top of the hill and watching the dances, and the long walk to school in brutal winter months.

The family was burdened with great loss, however, when both of her parents died from pneumonia. Wenger was 3 years old when her mother died and by age 9, her father was gone suddenly as well. The loss of her parents divided the children during the depression era, she said. 

Wenger stayed with her oldest brother in Madison for a while, but eventually she moved around to different homes through the years. In high school, she cooked and cleaned for a family to stay with them so she could continue to attend school. 

Wenger said the division of her family made things difficult, but she never forgot them and would see her siblings often in the area. Later on, many of them would keep in touch. 

“I would see (my siblings) around here and there,” she said. “But it was never a real family again.”

She attended Monroe High School but didn’t finish — instead, she married her husband, Robert, in 1947 and shortly after, started a family of her own. 

Her husband was once a farmer but the couple moved to Argyle, living in her grandfather’s home for a while, and eventually opened Gambles, a franchise store where they sold tools, TVs, antennas and offered repair work. Wenger was there each day working, often with the children, and enjoyed being a part of the business while raising her family. 

“It was nice,” she said, smiling as she thought of her customers. “I remembered all of their names.”

Argyle was a buzzing town at that time, with grocery and clothing stores as well as restaurants and taverns. A group of seven business-driven people in Argyle, including Wenger and her husband, eventually came up with the idea to start a supper club there. Norseman’s Supper Club was born. It was a place the family frequented and all of Wenger’s children worked at as they got older. 

When Wenger’s daughter, Annette, was a senior in high school, she said she decided she would also work to earn her diploma. She took classes in Darlington and was able to obtain it the same year as her daughter in 1978. 

“I think they all wanted me to get it,” she said. “It felt good. It was an accomplishment.”

She also obtained her driver’s license later in life, getting it when her son, Alan, got his. She said without parents, school never really came easy for her — and during the Depression and her own separation — her focus was on other things. 

“We didn’t realize (we were poor),” she said. “We were so happy when we were together, even though it wasn’t very long.”

Through the years, Wenger also has wonderful memories of family vacations – a special one out west where they camped, and simply loved being together.

Wenger takes pride in her husband’s community involvement. He served on the fire department, the ambulance, the church council and was the mayor of Argyle for a time. She also loved to watch him play drums in his longtime band, The Rhythm Ramblers, and getting away together was special for the couple.

“They played all around,” she said. “He was a drummer when I met him.”

The children also followed in their father’s footsteps, she said, and each of them played instruments in school. 

The Wengers ran Gambles for 50 years — and then passed it down to son, Kirk, in 1980, who continued the business until 2005. Wenger worked there for its duration. 

Robert passed away in 1986 and Wenger said they sold the Norseman just before then, but it stayed viable for decades after that as a popular spot in Argyle and saw great success. 

But Wenger’s greatest accomplishment, she said, has been her family. She still loves being with them and enjoys regular visits and phone calls from all of her children. 

Through the years, Wenger taught herself to cook, and that has also provided enjoyment and togetherness to both her and many others. Her son, Kirk, still comes to her home for breakfast almost every morning before starting his mail route and she said she greatly enjoys cooking for him. 

Wenger has also made the coleslaw side dish for the annual Argyle Fish Fry for the past five decades — and takes pride in the community fundraiser. She is also widely known as the only person willing to cut the limburger cheese for the cheese tent. The running joke around town is who will take the duty when she decides to retire. 

Being at home is something Wenger enjoys often — and she doesn’t mind being alone in part. Although her own immediate family never fully reconnected when she was young, she stayed in touch with her siblings, many of whom have lived well into their 90s. She enjoyed time each week visiting her sister in Monroe every Saturday for coffee and shopping. 

Wenger said she also enjoys gardening, and had a bigger garden in the past, but still enjoys her flowers, daily puzzles and a game of solitaire. Although she’s turning 90, she stays healthy by taking a shot of apple cider vinegar each day and has done that for as long as anyone can recall. She said she still enjoys raking her leaves and even shoveling her snow when it isn’t too heavy. 

Her happiest place is surrounded by family, where she’s baking cookies or a roast for dinner and they gather to enjoy the food and company of each other. She enjoys her 14 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. 

Wenger’s final quote is one she learned early on with both her family and her thriving business. 

“I tried to raise my kids to be honest and go by the rules,” she said.