Bernard L. Windmiller

Chaplain (Colonel) Bernard L. Windmiller (U.S. Army, Retired)

Our beloved Bernie was enfolded into the arms of Jesus on December 17, 2025, at the age of 93 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Whether you knew him as husband, father, uncle, grandfather, chaplain, pastor or friend, you knew a man of integrity, competence, compassion, humor and complete devotion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From the moment of his calling to pastoral ministry, through 30 years of service to the United States Army, and almost three decades in retirement to interim pastorates in ten churches, he remained faithful and steadfast to the way of Jesus and to God’s purposes. To hear his resonant baritone voice soar in praise, witness him wipe tears from his eyes in a powerful moment during a sermon, or feel the embrace of his prayer was to sense your own nearness to God.

Bernie was born July 3, 1932, to Howard and Wilma Windmiller in Gary, Indiana. He loved the Chicago Cubs and Bears all his life, and in recent years, longed to see his parents and brothers, Leon and Lee Dean, who now embrace him in eternity. He earned degrees that did not define him, but humbled and equipped him: A Bachelor of Arts in History from Bluffton College in 1959, a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1963, a Master of Science in counseling from Long Island University in 1973 and a Master of Theology from Duke Divinity School in 1976.

He was drafted into the Army in 1954 and deployed to Korea, serving there just after that war ended but conflict remained. When he returned, he acted upon the call to ministry he had heard earlier, while in college. During seminary, he found a theological and ecclesial home with the Evangelical Covenant Church and completed a year of orientation at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, while serving as pastor of the South Chicago Covenant Church, as well as in the U.S. Army Reserve Corps. He was called to active duty in 1966. Nine months later, he deployed with the 4^th Battalion, 47^th Infantry, 9^th Infantry Division to Vietnam. His year there ministering to soldiers on and off the battlefield profoundly formed him for the rest of his ministry and life. His relationships with the men of Charlie Company continued until his death. He remained on active duty upon coming home and flourished in his career, ultimately serving as the commandant of the United States Army Chaplain Center and School and as the post chaplain at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, at the time of his retirement. He was awarded ten medals during his years of service, including two bronze stars for valor in Vietnam.

After his retirement, he and his beloved wife of 69 years, Esther, moved to Princeton, Illinois, where they were embraced by the body of Christ and found a home for service and worship at the Evangelical Covenant Church for the next 23 years.

While in Princeton, Bernie served ten interim pastorates throughout Western Illinois, including Batavia Covenant Church (twice); Elim Covenant Church, Moline; First Covenant Church, Peoria; First Covenant Church, Moline; Hillcrest Covenant Church, DeKalb; and Princeton Covenant Church (twice). He also served as a member and chair of the Board of Directors of Covenant Children’s Home and Family Services; as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Evangelical Chaplains (IAEC) and as executive director; and in local community and veterans’ organizations. After decades of living in Army housing, he and Esther built their own home, and he created an impressive woodworking shop from which he produced fine furniture and toys for his grandchildren.

In 2019, Bernie and Esther moved to Harwood Place Senior Living in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, where they made new friends and Bernie’s strong, smooth voice added richness to the chorus. At age 90, he sang a memorable solo of “Some Enchanted Evening,” captivating the audience.

An extraordinarily sensitive man, Bernie saw and responded to human need. Indeed, it characterized his pastoral ministry. When someone was in crisis, he would say, “I need to go to them,” and he did. In Vietnam, he entered the field of battle alongside his soldiers. He wept over each of the scores who died in his battalion and then wrote a tender letter sharing the awful truth with each one’s family back home. While serving in Germany, he learned to play the guitar to minister more effectively to soldiers in hard places. In every ministry setting, he visited and cared for the sick, the lonely, the hurting and the prisoner.

He deeply loved and was devoted to Esther and to his children and their spouses, Beth (John) Fredrickson of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin; Leslie (Donald) Hodgkinson of Chicago, Illinois; Keith (Lori) Windmiller of Helen, Georgia; and Rebekah (Brian) Windmiller-Piersol of Brooklyn, New York. He adored his grandchildren, Rachel (Michael) Woofter, Peter (Elizabeth) Fredrickson, Andrew (Ellie) Fredrickson, Meghan (Brad) DeJong, Cameron Hodgkinson, Kelsey (Eric) Hoffmann, Abby Hodgkinson, Reid (Karlee) Windmiller, Tori (Devan) Sprayberry, David Windmiller, Maxwell Piersol and Kalliope Piersol, and his twelve great-grandchildren. His genuinely loved his nephews, Don Windmiller and Ron Windmiller.

Now healed and whole, Bernie sings the eternal song of God’s love and goodness. May God be glorified in Bernie’s homegoing as he was in Bernie’s life.

Memorial gifts may be made to Evangelical Covenant Church of Princeton or the Ministers’ Care and Crisis Fund of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Visitation will be held at Krause Funeral Home, 21600 West Capitol Drive, Brookfield, Wisconsin, on Friday, January 2, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM. Funeral Service at 2:00 PM. Burial will be held privately at Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery.