Dewain "Doc" Achenbach
Date of Birth: September 1, 1918
Place of Birth: Goodland, Kansas
Father and Mother’s Names: Harry Clayton Achenbach and Irene Adeline (Westling) Achenbach
Spouse and Children's Names: Lucille Achenbach (wife), Duane, Sharon, Jodie, and Caron (Children).
Date Entered Service: December 29, 1944
Service Branch: Army
Rank/Specialty: Technician 5th Grade
Service ID: 37758374
Division/Company/Unit info: 25th Infantry Division
Awards and Commendations: Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Expert Infantryman Badge, Honorable Service Lapel Button WWII.
Date of Discharge: August 9, 1946
Riley Connection: Attended and graduated from Manhattan High School. Attended Kansas State College 1939-Lived with brother Clyde at 1019 Moro St., Manhattan - both were students. Lived at 100 S. 17th St. in Manhattan in 1946 with wife, Lucille.
Date of Death: November 3, 2015
Gravesite Location: Kansas Veterans Cemetery at Fort Riley, Manhattan, Riley Co., Kansas
Bio: “Doc” Arnold Achenbach was born on September 1, 1918 in Goodland, KS, and departed into eternal life the morning of November 3, 2015 at the age of 97. Mr. Achenbach was the son of Harry C. and Irene (Westling) Achenbach who were blessed with four children, Maxine, Frank, Dewain, and Harry “Clyde” Achenbach.
On June 16, 1939, Mr. Achenbach was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart who became his wife of 75 years, Lucille L. (Gould) Achenbach. Three children and their families blessed this union, Duane “Jerry” (and daughter-in-law, Sue) Achenbach and their daughter, Victoria “Vicki” Achenbach; Sharon (and son-in-law, Garland “Gary”, deceased) Henson and her son, Richard “Rick” (and wife Barbara) Kerns, daughter, Jodie (and husband, Daniel) Rivet, and Angela “Angie” (and husband, Ben) Wendt; and daughter, Caron (and son-in-law, Mark) Berges and their children, sons, Dustin Boyce and Logan Berges, and daughters, Tiffany (and husband, Tyler) Rebel and Aimee Berges. The family blessings continued with many, many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Mr. Achenbach was a 1938 graduate of Manhattan High and a 1948 graduate of Kansas State Chiropractic College where he received his Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) Medicine (and the knick-name, “Doc”). Doc became a chiropractor in Mineola and then Ashland, Kansas where he served many people. Mr. Achenbach was a Combat World War II Veteran who was in Hiroshima, Japan just a few days after the bombs were dropped and witnessed the signing of the Japanese Surrender Document. Mr. Achenbach was honorably discharged as a Technician 5th Grade in the U.S. Army.
Doc was a comedian with a never-ending supply of jokes and stories to tell. He loved to make people smile and laugh. He was an inventor, and an entrepreneur who loved to dream up things to make and ways to do them that would improve the world or at least our part of it! Doc was a mechanic and built his first car (a model T) from parts in a box, he helped build the Al-Can Highway and Tuttle Creek Dam, and he worked at Douglas Aircraft before going to war. He was builder, plumber, electrician, heavy equipment operator, and even was a short-order cook at the family café. He was a truck driver, first local, then over-the-road which he did with his wife. As you can see, he was a jack-of-all-trades kind of man, but most of all, he was a loving, caring husband, dad, and grandpa, great-grandpa, great-great grandpa. He was a friend to everyone he met and he will definitely be very, very missed!
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