Nourished by the sacraments of Holy Mother Church, Robert Michael Wernicke entered into eternal life on December 9, 2022, at MD Anderson Hospital in Houston, Texas, surrounded by his loving family.

Michael was the firstborn of five sons of Julius F. Wernicke, Jr., of Pensacola, Florida, and Gilda Vega Wernicke, originally of Ponce, Puerto Rico. His childhood nickname was "Tito", and he grew up in Ferry Pass on three acres of a pecan grove. He loved spending time at the family home, Gull Point, on Pensacola Bay, watching his grandfather, Julius Sr., tinker in his garage workshop. Sundays were often spent with his grandmother, Maleta Moore Wernicke, an avid bird watcher, as they traveled around Northwest Florida and South Alabama tracking birds. Michael would often identify a bird by its call alone. Also, part of this lively household for many years was his maternal Abuelita, Maria Concepción Iglesias, who sang in Spanish, recited poetry and kept a sharp eye on her grandchildren.

Michael graduated from Pensacola High School with many honors, including Outstanding Student of Escambia County for 1965 and a National Merit Scholarship. He was accepted into Rice University, where he received a Master's degree in electrical engineering. Upon graduation he was hired by MPR, an engineering firm in Washington, D.C. He and three other friends owned a sailboat together and loved racing or just a quiet sail in the beautiful waters around the Eastern Shore.

In 1976, Michael married Marian O'Shea of St. Louis, Missouri. Marrying into the enormous and welcoming O'Shea family added even more joy into their shared lives. Shortly after their wedding Michael accepted a job with a California firm, Nuclear Services Incorporated, which sent him to Madrid, Spain, as a design reviewer for Spain's newly built nuclear power plants. The newlyweds loved being in Madrid and traveled all over Spain, the British Isles and Paris during their fourteen months there.

Michael and Marian then returned to Pensacola, where Michael was quickly hired by Gulf Power Company as an engineer. Three children soon followed - Kristin, Tim and John – and the house on 17th Avenue in East Hill buzzed with the activity of a family for 39 years. In Pensacola Michael was an active member of the Bream Fishermen Association, the Scenic Highway Foundation and the parish council at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Michael was a second-generation member of the Krewe of Merrymakers, following in the footsteps of his Wernicke grandparents.

Michael also worked as a software consultant with the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, a research institute in Pensacola.

Upon Michael's retirement from Gulf Power in 2017, the couple moved to Austin, Texas, to be with their daughter Kristin and son-in-law Maximiliano Benitez, and August Michael Benitez, the first grandchild in the family. The traditional Sunday family suppers continued in Austin, featuring Poppop's famous Puerto Rican specialty - learned from his mother - of roast pork, tostones and rice and beans. Michael was also well known for sending homemade pralines to family and friends at Christmas.

In May 2022, Michael was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. After months of treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, including a stem cell transplant with cells donated by his brother Paul, Michael succumbed to complications from the transplant. He fought bravely until the end.

Above all, Michael was a man of deep faith in God and in the dignity of every human person.

He was an avid reader concerned about social justice for all, a gentle, intelligent man respected and loved by all who knew him, and the undisputed Scrabble champion of the family. He was a devoted husband, father, and brother, always modeling by his very being what it means to be a man of integrity. He will be missed greatly by all who knew and loved him.

He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Marian; his daughter, Kristin and son-in-law Maximiliano Benitez of Austin, Texas; his son, Tim and wife Sarah of San Diego, California; his son, John Michael of Silver Spring, Maryland; and his grandson, August Michael Benitez. He is also survived by four loving brothers and spouses: Fred and Suzanne Wernicke, Carl and Patti Wernicke, Paul Wernicke and partner Victoria Kilgen, and David Wernicke; his beloved maternal aunt, Olga Covington; and cousins, John Covington, Rogette Wernicke and Dale Edelbeck; as well as his beloved grand dogs, Apollo, Flinn and Melo.

Funeral Mass will be held 10:00am Saturday, December 17, 2022, at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, with Fr. Dennis O'Brien celebrant. A reception will immediately follow at the family home. A private family interment will be held at Roberts Cemetery (off Creighton Road).

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Pensacola Humane Society or to the Central Texas Food Bank.