Couple swept away have family here

CHAMPION – Leah Cordner of Champion has all but resigned herself that her daughter and son-in-law have died.

“We’re pretty sure,” Cordner said Wednesday of the Christmas Day walk that ended in tragedy for her daughter, Patricia Wenner, and her husband, Craig, both 50, of Brookville, just outside of Dayton.

Patricia Wenner grew up in Champion and met her husband, originally from Bucyrus, at The Ohio State University, where both were studying.

According to news accounts, the Wenners were walking near the Stillwater River about 10 miles northwest of Dayton with their two teenage daughters and Labrador retriever.

The dog went into the river and began struggling. Patricia Wenner went into the water to help the dog. Her husband followed but they disappeared under the water.

“They still haven’t found the bodies,” Cordner said today.

Patricia Wenner was a registered nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital, Dayton; her husband worked for Five River MetroParks, Dayton.

Cordner said they both liked the outdoors and lived in the country.