Michael D. Winkler, 79, dedicated teacher, coach, and former Pennington Borough councilman and mayor, died on Sept. 15, 2019 after a long illness. A member of the faculty of The Pennington School from 1970 until his retirement in 2008, he had been chair of the School’s history department since 1980. He fostered an appreciation of history and politics in generations of Pennington students.
Born in Wheeling, W.Va., son of the late Dale Ross and Anna Mary McCoy Winkler, Michael Winkler earned a bachelor’s degree in speech from West Liberty (W. Va.) University and a master’s degree in history from West Virginia University. He was also a U.S. Army veteran, having been stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, for two years.
Joining the Pennington faculty as a teacher of history and English in 1970, Winkler went on to hold various administrative posts from 1973 to 1980, often simultaneously, including director of admission, director of alumni and development, and editor of the alumni newsletter. After becoming department chair, he primarily taught American history, including honors and Advanced Placement classes, but also at various times ancient history, world history, Russian history, and government and politics. He received the School’s Henry and Selma Otte Distinguished Teacher Award in 1991.
Winkler’s role at the School extended beyond the classroom, as he coached Pennington’s golf team for 35 years. He was elected to the School’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. For many of his early years at the School, he also directed about a dozen dramatic and musical productions.
Involved in the local community, Winkler was elected to the Pennington Borough Council for three-year terms in 1982 and 1985. He then was elected mayor for two four-year terms, 1988–1996, a period during which the borough built its new municipal building.
Upon retirement, Winkler and his wife, Elizabeth Young Winkler, moved to Sun City in Bluffton, S.C. In addition to Elizabeth, he is survived by their children, Kurt R. Winkler (Audrey) and Katherine R. Winkler; grandchildren Bennett, Brynn, Brennen, and Beckett Winkler; his sister, Carole (Tony) Marvin; many nieces and nephews; and numerous friends and former colleagues.
Private funeral services will be held Saturday, September 21 at The Pennington School. Burial will follow in Pennington Cemetery.
A memorial service in celebration of Michael’s life will be held the weekend of October 11-13 at a location to be announced in Pennington.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests memorial contributions be made to: The Pennington School, 112 West Delaware Avenue, Pennington, NJ, 08534. www.pennington.org/support
My deepest condolences go out to your family. Mike and I worked together from ’94 to ’99 at TPS, and he was also a dental patient of my wife. We always spoke fondly of him, and remember how he was always running to the next thing to do as he had such a packed and full social calendar. I will miss him very much.