Achiel E. Wanket

October 5, 1928 - August 15, 2021

Achiel (“Ace”) Wanket passed away peacefully on August 15, 2021 at the age of 92. Ace was a proud product of Detroit, Michigan. The second of eleven children born to Cyril and Rose Wanket, he graduated from Catholic Central High School and earned a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Detroit. After serving stateside in the Air Force (attaining the rank of Captain), Ace attended the University of Michigan for his Master’s in Business Administration. He spent most of his career with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; first in Michigan, then later in San Francisco where he retired as Chief Engineer for the Corps’ South Pacific Division. Ace was proud of the work he did with the Corps, which included managing major flood control, navigation, and national defense projects. Family was everything to Ace. He married Eileen Wanket in 1957, and together they raised seven children in Detroit and Danville, California. In the greatest heartbreak of his life, they lost their eldest daughter Mary to a long illness and untimely death in 1986. After Eileen passed away in 2004, Ace got a second opportunity for love when he met and married Barbara Mason Wanket in 2008. They lived happily in the historic mining town of Pioche, Nevada until Barbara’s passing in 2017. Ace is survived by his children Greg (Elaine), Ed (Kristine), Dan (Lisa), Tom (Kirsten), Anne (Gus), and Jim (Maureen). He is also survived by eighteen grandchildren who brought enormous joy to his life: Katie (Eric), Tony (Tiffani), Nick, Ciara, Sarah, Sean, Jamie, Alexis, Samantha, Elise, Cameron, Jenna, Isabel, Margaret, Patrick, Grace, Emily, and Olivia. Two great-grandchildren carry on Ace’s legacy: Jackson and Declan. We will miss him dearly. Funeral mass will be at 12:00 p.m. Thursday, September 16 at St. Mary's Catholic Church, St. Clair. Interment will be at St. Mary's Cemetery. Arrangements by L.C. Friederichs & Son Funeral Home, St. Clair. To leave a message of comfort please visit: www.lcfandson.com