- Date Of Birth: October 21, 1922
- Date Of Death: February 8, 2016
- State: Idaho
Beloved father, grandfather and great grandfather Erwin Emil Wirkus, 93, died peacefully on Monday, February 8, 2016, in Lincoln Court Retirement Community in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Born October 21, 1922, in Schneidemühl, Germany, Erwin was the son of Emil Otto August Wirkus and Martha Auguste Jahnke Wirkus. At age 5, he immigrated with his family to America, settling in Idaho Falls. After graduation from Idaho Falls High School, Erwin attended Brigham Young University and served in the Northern States Mission (1942-44) where he met his future wife, Marie Egbert, of Lincoln, Idaho. They were married on March 30, 1945, in the Salt Lake Temple.
Erwin was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II and served in the Philippines and Korea as a medic and clerk. After returning home, he attended Utah State Agricultural College, graduating in 1949. He taught school and was principal for one year at Ucon Elementary School, Ucon, Idaho.
The following year, he accepted an offer to teach seminary, and began a career that lasted until his retirement in 1984. He taught mostly at Idaho Falls and Bonneville high schools and was a seminary principal for many years. Erwin was a gifted teacher, well remembered for his sense of humor and ability to spiritually lift and inspire the hundreds of students who sought out his classes.
