Lorena (Thumser) Winchel

Lorena  Winchel, 82, of  Grayling passed away on Thursday April 25, 2024 at home with her loving family by her side.

Lorena was born on May 7, 1941 in White Cloud, Michigan to Roy and Zora (Ruperd) Thumser. She grew up in the White Cloud area where she graduated from White Cloud High School.  On May 13, 1961 in White Cloud, Lorena was married to Leonard G. "Doc"  Winchel, and he preceded her in death in 1995. The couple moved from Mt. Pleasant to Houghton Lake in 1979, and Lorena moved to Grayling in 2002. She worked for many years as the Office Manager in her husband's Chiropractic Office in Houghton Lake.  Lorena, later worked as a Library Assistant at the Devereaux Memorial Crawford County Library.  She was a member of the Red Hat Society.  Lorena enjoyed crocheting, traveling, and bowling on many leagues over the years. Her special love was settling down with a good book. 

Surviving Mrs. Winchel are her daughter, Tammy (Richard) Richmond of Grayling; two sons, Troy Winchel of Grayling, and Tom (Trish) Winchel of Battle Creek; five grandchildren, Melissa (Jason) Gomez, Steven Eckstorm Jr., Jocey Winchel, Isabelle Richmond, and Christian Richmond; four great grandchildren, Mason Hertzberg, Riley Gomez, Gabriella Gomez, and Sawyer Gomez. Lorena was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Dr. Leonard G. "Doc" Winchel; and two brothers, Gerald Ruperd, and Robert Thumser. 

Funeral Services for Lorena Winchel will be conducted at 10:30 am on Saturday May 4, 2024 from Christler Funeral Home-Houghton Lake Chapel with Pastor Scott Distler officiating. Visitation will be held from 9:30 am to 10:30 am on Saturday May 4, 2024 at Christler Funeral Home-Houghton Lake Chapel. Memorial contributions in memory of Lorena are asked to be directed to the Devereaux Memorial Crawford County Library or the Crawford County Animal Shelter. Christler Funeral Home-Houghton Lake Chapel is serving the family. Condolences can be sent to the family online at www.christler-holdship.com 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lorena (Thumser) Winchel, please visit our floral store.