Healing the Wounds of War
By Katie Mittelstadt
Jeanette and one of her brothers on his motorcycle.[5]
Image of Jeanette with a photograph from her time of service. Courtesy of Drinkwine Family Mortuary, Inc.
Jeanette M. Wullenschneider
May 26, 1921 - February 8, 2019
Jeanette M. Wullenschneider (nee Reichenberger) lived a life of service. Born just three years after the end of the First World War on May 26, 1921, in a farmhouse outside of Andale, Kansas, Jeanette was the seventh of what would be eight children of Nicholas John Reichenberger and Regina Agnes Reichenberger.[1] Jeanette and her family of 10 worked and resided on the same farm that her father Nicholas and his parents moved to in 1893 when he was nine years old.[2] Growing up in a farming family in 1920s rural Kansas was not an easy feat. At this time, the American farming industry was navigating a detrimental 60 percent fall in income which, whether or not it affected Jeanette’s family, would have created an atmosphere of distress.[3] Despite this economic environment, Jeanette and her family persevered and she began her path to a lifetime of service. After graduating from high school, Jeanette received her nursing degree after completing a rigorous three-year program at the St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kansas.[4]
During the period that followed Jeanette’s graduation from nursing school, the world was dealing with unimaginable changes. The Second World War had rapidly intensified, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June, 1941, causing havoc in Europe, and Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December, 1941 completely ending America’s isolationist ideals and escalating the war in the Pacific Theater.[6]
After the United States joined the war, the U.S. draft massively increased due to greater wartime needs. Because of this, men were unable to fulfill the prior roles they played on the homefront, such as working in aircraft or munitions factories. Therefore, American women, such as Jeanette began to take on much larger roles in the wartime cause, filling positions in factories and working for the Red Cross. Eventually, civilian women enlisted in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and the Women’s Army Corps (WAC).[7]
A daughter of a World War I veteran, Jeanette understood the true horrors of war. Regardless, Jeanette courageously joined the Army in 1944, again displaying her selfless commitment to serving those around her. After enlisting, Jeanette received the distinguished rank of First Lieutenant, a rarity because women were facing discrimination and opposition when joining the military.[8] She was stationed in the European Theater as a nurse, notably taking care of both Allied and Axis soldiers. One of her favorite stories to tell from her time in the European Theater was the moment she heard of beloved President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s passing in April of 1945. Jeanette had been caring for a German soldier at the time who was, interestingly enough, the individual who told her the news. Following Victory in Europe Day, in May of 1945, Jeanette served in the Army of Occupation in Paris, France and Munich, Germany, aiding concentration camp survivors as they began a process of healing from the war’s tragedies and utter destruction. [9]
After her dedicated service in the war, Jeanette met another veteran, Joseph Benjamin Wullenschnieder. Joseph, more commonly known as “Joe” served with the Convair in Forth Worth, Texas, manufacturing B-24 Liberator bombers and B-36s. [10] After their initial meeting, Jeanette was not entirely impressed by Joe as she felt he thought “he was God’s gift to women!”[11] Despite this first impression, Jeanette and Joe got married in 1950 and were happily married for 56 years until Joe’s passing in 2006. The two had moved from Wichita, Kansas to Colorado in 1960, where they settled with their three children in the quaint suburban area of Littleton. [12] Jeanette’s lifetime of service and commitment shone throughout her post-service life as she was a dedicated partner and mother known for her love of the Broncos and Rockies sports teams. She was also famous for her extraordinarily delicious Christmas cookies. She worked as a part-time nurse at the Swedish Hospital and Cherrelyn Manor Nursing Home until her retirement. As a devout member of the Catholic Church, Jeanette served, post-retirement, as the Carmelite Monastery nuns’ “Uber” driver and volunteered as both a Eucharistic Minister and Stephens Minister at St. Mary’s in Littleton. Jeanette was also actively involved in the veterans group when living at Lakeview Senior Living in Lakewood, Colorado and was forever passionate about spreading the knowledge and experience she gained from her time during service, even speaking about the war with student groups in Littleton. Jeanette showed her selflessness and commitment to serving others in her community, being known for radiating joy and making those around her feel heard, appreciated, and unconditionally loved. [13]
After a long, fulfilling, rich life of endless contribution and love, Jeanette sadly passed away on February 8, 2019 in Littleton, Colorado at the age of 97. Jeanette’s steadfast dedication throughout all of her life’s achievements show us just how far passion, kindness, and empathy can take you, even when handling the complex, serious, and distressing situations experienced during times of war. The kindness and compassion she exhibited will provide us with a reminder of how to treat others for years to come.
Footnotes ↓
[1] Drinkwine, “Obituary for Jeanette M. Wullenschneider | Drinkwine Family Mortuary, Inc.,” Obituary for Jeanette M. Wullenschneider, Drinkwine Family Mortuary, Inc. (CFS, February 8, 2019), https://www.drinkwinemortuary.com/obituary/Jeanette-Wullenschneider?proxy=original.
[2] “Nicholas John Reichenberger (1884-1961) - Find A...,” Findagrave.com, 2019, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/24148840/nicholas_john-reichenberger.
[3] “FRB: Finance and Economics Discussion Series: Screen Reader Version - the Anatomy of a Credit Crisis: The Boom and Bust in Farm Land Prices in the United States in the 1920s.,” Federalreserve.gov, 2025, https://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2012/201262/index.html.
[4] Drinkwine, “Obituary for Jeanette M. Wullenschneider.”
[5] Drinkwine, “Obituary for Jeanette M. Wullenschneider.”
[6] Imperial War Museums, “What Was Operation ‘Barbarossa’?,” Imperial War Museums (Imperial War Museums, 2025), https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-operation-barbarossa.; U.S. Department of Defense, “Remembering Pearl Harbor,” U.S. Department of Defense, 2024, https://www.defense.gov/multimedia/experience/remembering-pearl-harbor/.
[7] National Park Service, “Women’s Army Corps (WAC) (U.S. National Park Service),” www.nps.gov, November 30, 2023, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/women-s-army-corps-wac.htm.
[8] “The Army Nurse Corps | WW2 US Medical Research Centre,” Med-dept.com, 2019, https://www.med-dept.com/articles/the-army-nurse-corps/.
[9] Drinkwine, “Obituary for Jeanette M. Wullenschneider.”
[10] “Convair FW Veterans Spend Their Weekends Training in Air Reserve ,” Convairiety , March 1, 1950, file:///Users/katiemittelstadt/Downloads/convairnews_263.pdf.
[11] Drinkwine, “Obituary for Jeanette M. Wullenschneider.”
[12] “Jeanette M Wullenschneider in the Kansas, U.S., City and County Census Records, 1919-1961,” Ancestry, accessed August 15, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2270/records/19516582?nreg=1.
[13] Drinkwine, “Obituary for Jeanette M. Wullenschneider.”
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