Emil Korenic

Korenic, Emil Walter – SUN PRAIRIE

Emil Walter Korenic, age 94, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2020 at Agrace HospiceCare, Fitchburg.  Emil was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 22, 1926 to Karol (Charles) and Bertha Korenic.  Even before high school, Emil knew he wanted to be an architect, so he attended Tilden Technical School in Chicago to prepare himself for college.  He served from 1944 to 1949 in the U.S. Army Air Corps, which became the United States Air Force, and was stationed for a brief time in one of his favorite cities, Prague.  He married his loving wife, Donna, on June 10, 1948.  He earned a B.S. in Architecture/Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in June 1951.  Emil moved to Madison in 1952 to begin work as an architect/engineer at Flad & Associates, where one of his early jobs was to design the Union House Tavern, now the Malt House, at the corner of East Washington Avenue and Milwaukee Street.  He was active in the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.  He designed many high schools throughout Wisconsin and several buildings in Madison, including his former residence in the Hill Farms neighborhood.  He also assisted with the design of Van Vleck Hall on the UW-Madison campus.  In 1972, he moved his family to Northern California and worked as the Chief Operating Officer for the Sandy Babcock architectural firm in San Francisco.  After retirement, he moved to Southern California, where his greatest joy was spending time with grandchildren.  He moved back to Wisconsin in 2005 to be near family.  Emil was an avid Chicago Cubs and Bears fan.  His other interests included playing bridge, golfing, and listening to music.  He had a great sense of humor and was kind to all who knew him.

Emil will be dearly missed by his beloved family, including his children Weslynn Korenic of Sun Prairie, Lynette (J. Dennis Reif) Korenic of Madison, Jeff Korenic of Sun Prairie, and Dave (Cheryl) Korenic of Sun Prairie; his grandchildren Chanley (Christopher) Webber, Carli Knable, Carie Knable, Cale (Katie) Korenic, Katie (Andrew) Lee, and Alexander Korenic; his great grandchildren Gavin Knable, Jake and Casey Webber, Riley and Kensington Thiede, Dylan Lee, and Caydence Korenic; and other relatives.  He was preceded in death by his wife, Donna; his parents; and his siblings, Charles Korenic and Lilian Daniel.  Emil will be loved and remembered forever by his family and friends.  The family would like to thank the staff at Agrace for their compassionate care.

Due to the pandemic, a celebration of Emil’s life will take place at a later date.  Memorial contributions may be made to Agrace HospiceCare, 5395 E. Cheryl Pkwy, Fitchburg, WI, 53711.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service

1310 Emerald Terrace  Sun Prairie

(608) 837-9054

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