Herman Wesseler, 70, former owner of Village Bakery in Bensenville for 20 years, died of cancer Saturday, May 4, in Hines VA Hospital in Maywood. Born in Vreden, Germany, Mr. Wesseler was trained to be a baker. He immigrated to the United States when he was 23 for more job opportunities, his son Henry said. He was in the United States for six months before he was drafted into the Army. “At boot camp he and another German fellow talked about how they wanted to be transferred to Germany and the78 other men wanted to go to Hawaii. But the 78 others were sent to Germany and he and his friend were sent to Hawaii for two years,” his son said. After serving in the Army, Mr. Wesseler settled in Chicago and worked in bakeries. He married in 1957, and the couple had four children. In 1963 he and his family moved to Bensenville, and seven years later Mr. Wesseler opened Village Bakery. “He was famous for his rye bread and wedding cakes. Nobody could make rye bread like `Herman the German’ around here,” his son said. Mr. Wesseler received his nickname from a group of friends in his favorite drinking establishments. “He was like that character in [the television show] `Cheers,'” his son said. “Whenever he walked into a bar, people would yell `Herman the German!’ My father was very gregarious.” After his divorce in 1987, Mr. Wesseler moved to Wisconsin to pursue his dream of operating a tavern. However, his business failed to thrive, and two years later he returned to Bensenville. He worked at several bakeries and moved to Bridgeview in 1996. He last worked at Kirsten Bakery in Burr Ridge. Other survivors include two sons, Gary and Andrew; a daughter, Annette Griffith; a sister, Christa Nuning; and five grandchildren. Services have been held.
