Entrepreneur Shirlee Wenzel of Washington Crossing, PA passed away on August 7, 2016. She was 92.
Born in Easton, PA to Morris and Frances (Kaplan) Pinskey, she was the youngest of 11 siblings. Shirlee was the valedictorian of Easton High School Class of 1941. In 1976, Shirlee broke the glass ceiling in the advertising business, starting her own company – Wenzel & Company, an advertising, marketing and public relations firm in Trenton, NJ, which moved to Pennington, NJ in 1980. It was the only woman-owned advertising agency in the State of New Jersey at that time.
Shirlee’s son Don joined the agency in 1977 as her partner and worked with her until her retirement in 2010. Wenzel & Company flourished under Shirlee’s leadership. Her unwavering self-confidence, hard-work ethic, and creativity earned the company many awards and accolades. Shirlee was inducted into the NJ Ad Club’s Advertising Hall of Fame in 1991. The agency worked with over 600 clients and won more than 800 industry awards during its 34-year history. Shirlee was a frequent guest speaker and author of numerous articles on marketing. Shirlee was a world traveler, avid reader, gardener, and gourmet cook. She offered sage advice to those who asked, and taught the importance of hard work and tenacity. Shirlee loved animals, had many beloved pets, and supported animal welfare organizations.
She is survived by her son Donald Wenzel, his wife Lee Anne, and twin grandchildren, Cameron and Devon, of Newtown, PA; and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Save the Chimps at www.savethechimps.org.
Funeral services will be private. Family and friends are invited to a gathering to celebrate Shirlee’s life on August 21. Please contact the family for details. Condolences and memories may be shared with her family at the funeral home website below.
www.fitzgeraldsommerfuneralhome.com
