Photo by Sam McIntosh – KCII News Assistant

A member of the Rotary Club, YMCA, Washington Chamber of Commerce, Washington Betterment Foundation, Washington City Ambassador, Washington State Bank Board, the Washington United Presbyterian Church, and a member of the Washington Municipal Band, 83-year-old John Winga Jr. was remembered by his bandmates Thursday in Central Park.

The leader of the band stated, “Pay tribute and play tribute to an important member of our band who is no longer with us. He is with us in spirit. He’s with us in our hearts. He started the season with us and unfortunately he’s not going to be able to end the season with us. We are of course talking about the loss of our band member, community member, business leader, and all around great man, Mr. John Winga.”

Winga passed away Sunday. His friend, Wayne Brock, who joined the municipal band the same evening as Winga many years ago, paid tribute and shared a memory, “I recall my high school days, I had one particular thing happen to both of us that’s been the highlight of my life. And that’s we were both selected for the All State Band. I was in the band and he was in the orchestra. We both went to Des Moines together with our band director, practiced that day, and then we’d give concerts that night. And that’s been my highlight of really getting to know John.”

Winga began working as a bus boy in his father’s restaurant Winga’s Cafe that opened on the north side of the Washington square in 1928. He graduated from college, played in the Army band, and bought the restaurant from his father in 1967. It was at at the cafe he met his wife Carol. The couple married in 1960, and had two children. The restaurant’s doors closed in 2006.

A visitation for Winga will be held at the Jones Eden Funeral Home Sunday, with a service Monday at the United Presbyterian Church.