Thomas Rench dead at 85

Thomas R. Rench of Racine, Wisconsin, died on November 28, 2015. He was 85. Born February 11, 1930, in Racine, he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1948 to study aeronautical engineering but was drafted for service in the Korean War. Rench earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Miami University, Coral Gables, Florida, in 1956, a master of science in mechanics degree at Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, in 1960, and a degree at Miami University of Ohio, after which he spent a year on that school’s faculty.

While working in the engineering field, Rench also did occasional work for organbuilders. In 1982, he established his own organbuilding firm in Racine, building and restoring organs until his retirement in 2005. Thomas Rench is survived by his wife, Marilyn Stulken; children Alan and Mary Rench of Byers, Colorado; Evan Rench of Louisville, Kentucky; Eric and Bobbi Rench of Kenosha, Wisconsin; and Kari Eschmann of Racine, seven grandchildren, and former wife, Bobbie Williams.