Remembering Wendy Werner
May 29, 1952 - January 3, 2022
This is the world I want to live in. The shared world. —Naomi Shihab Nye
Wendy Werner was a force of nature -- an acclaimed photographer, a sought-after career strategist and a steely social justice advocate. She died at her home in Saint Louis on January 3 after a long battle with cancer. She was 69.
She’s been deeply admired not only in her varied fields of endeavor, but by countless friends and colleagues in a network that spans the country and beyond.
Growing up in the rolling hills outside Saint Louis in the 1950s instilled in her a lifelong passion for horses and dogs that fueled her enduring commitment to caring for rescue dogs.
Travel to Europe as a teen sensitized her to international cultures and sparked her lifelong passion in photography. Although she had no formalized training, her love of art history sharpened her eye and drove her to refining her craft. Wendy turned her attention to capturing uncomplicated vignettes which became the hallmark of her photography. Her playful use of natural light encourages us to notice and delight in the world around us, no matter how ordinary.
Her appreciation of visual composition and “framing” was foundational to her vocation as a career counselor. After receiving her master’s degree from Indiana University, she became assistant dean at Saint Louis University Law School where she counseled both aspiring law students and alumni. Later, she was mentored by Richard Bolles, a career change innovator and best-selling author known for systematizing career planning.
In 2001, she launched her business helping clients navigate career changes in fields as varied as law, finance and engineering. As a corollary, she also helped law firms across the country to attract and nurture talent.
Throughout her life, Wendy traveled prolifically and photographed her impressions along the way – from western Europe and the Mediterranean coast to Eastern Bloc countries, and throughout the Americas. But her most beloved destination was the rugged Oregon coast which she adopted as her second home.
Wendy was a fierce champion for social justice causes. She believed that there is in most people an innate capacity for fairness and a willingness to extend access to justice to all people.
One of Wendy’s proudest roles was her longtime board service with the nonprofit civil rights law firm, ArchCity Defenders. As Wendy was fond of saying, “she knew ArchCity before it was born,” having been part of some of the first conversations with the co-founders when the organization was still just an idea. She went on to become ArchCity’s founding Board Chair, stewarding the organization for over twelve years from a part-time passion project to a powerful and established force for justice in the St. Louis region.
Wendy’s commitment to and love for the organization and its people never waned, and the impact of her contributions is immeasurable. Donations can be made to ArchCity Defenders in Wendy’s memory.
She leaves behind her beloved rescue Aussie named Brody, an impossibly wide circle of devoted friends, and a family which includes a generation of grateful nieces and nephews in whom she fostered compassion, creativity and wanderlust.
At Wendy’s request, there will be no memorial service. But her friends are planning to gather when the pandemic subsides, in remembrance of a remarkable woman and to celebrate a life well lived.
Special thanks to Libby Scrofano, Wendy’s niece; Blake Strode, Executive Director - ArchCity Defenders; and Claudia Brodie for their contributions to this tribute.