Carl Edward Wrona II

Carl Edward Wrona II, age 62, of Munising passed away surrounded by his loving family on Thursday morning, September 10, 2020 following a courageous battle with a rare form of urothelial cancer.  He was born on February 26, 1958 in Marquette the son of the late Carl and Naomi (Sortore) Wrona.

Carl is survived by his daughter – Corianne (Chris) Deatsman; loving grandchildren – Carlen, Carter, and Carissa; his longtime companion and teenage crush – Carolyn Fleck; sisters – Carla Romo and Deborah (Dane) Wilson of California; loving nieces – Rebecca, Tasha, Nikki, and Lisa; nephews – Jason, Brandon, and Ryan.  Carl was predeceased by his father Carl E. Wrona I , mother Naomi Wrona, sister Constance (Wrona) Rollenhagen, brother-in-law – James Rollenhagen; and his beloved son Carl “C.J.” E. Wrona III.

Carl graduated from Wm. G. Mather High School in 1977 and worked as a cook at the Dogpatch.  He joined the U.S. Army on August 25, 1982 and was first stationed in Oakland, CA.  Carl served overseas as a cook in Seoul, Korea.  During that time, he was responsible for serving 700 men three meals per day.  He competed and won numerous awards for his cooking skills, buffet layout, and ice sculptures.  He was honorably discharged from the service on August 22, 1985.  Returning to Munising, he joined the National Guard on October 31, 1985 and served many years.  Carl was a proud veteran and a member of the American Legion Prato Post #131 and of the American Legion’s Honor Guard.  He enjoyed slinging the bull with the Legion’s morning coffee klatch and cooking them breakfast on occasion.

Following his return from Korea, Carl settled in at the former Kimberly Clark and began employment on September 8, 1987.  He worked as a laborer for many years and then transferred to an office position as a planner.  Carl moved on to become the manager of the former BP Store in Wetmore.  His proudest moment was when his store won an award for the largest dollar sales of wine, liquor, and beer of all Class C stores in the Upper Peninsula.  He and Carolyn enjoyed an all-expense paid trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Beneath Carl’s rough exterior was a man with the heart of a teddy bear.  He was always there for his grandkids and was delighted to receive a call to fetch something they forgot to take to school.  He also felt extra loved on the evenings the grandkids would call and ask him to come to the house in the morning and fix French toast before school.

Carl had a love of salmon fishing that he shared with Cori and Chris on the big lakes of Superior and Michigan, and he taught his children how to deer and partridge hunt.  Carl took pride in being involved with the coaching of C.J.’s baseball, football, and hockey teams.  He was a man of many talents.  A few years in the construction field developed his skills in construction, drywall, electrical, plumbing, and electronics.  Carl was instrumental in the construction of Cori and Chris’ home and shared his talents and knowledge with Chris.  In recent years, he spent many an hour on his and Carolyn’s projects, at times working alongside his dear friend, Joe Niedzwiecki.  The two of them were always happy to tackle a project and their faces lit up when Donna Kolbus would call for assistance.

He most recently enjoyed attending the grandchildren’s sports activities and events.  Carl and Carolyn loved taking rides in the woods on their side by side, viewing nature and especially any wildlife.  Carl also found he enjoyed kayaking, jigsaw puzzles, and making his own ammo.  He was known around town for his cooking, baking, grilling, and smoking skills, and he and Carolyn enjoyed entertaining at their camp on Upper Twin Lake.

Military honors will be rendered by the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans, and National Guard Honor Guards on Saturday, September 19, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Munising.  A time of fellowship will follow at Shooter’s Firehouse Lounge beginning at 4:00 p.m.  Carl’s obituary and online guestbook may be found at bowermanfuneralhome.net