Hamburg’s mayor dies at 74 years old

The mayor of Hamburg has died.

Dane Alan Weindorf, 74, died Saturday of complications from surgery, said his son Dax Weindorf of Benton-ville. The elder Weindorf had been diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2016.

Dane Weindorf was born in St. Paul, Minn. His father, Werner Weindorf, was a pilot in the Air Force who flew in Vietnam, Korea and World War II.

In 1955, the Air Force took the family to North Little Rock, said Blake Weindorf of Benton, Dane’s second son.

After a move to Nebraska, where he graduated from high school, and back to Arkansas, Dane Weindorf was working as a buyer for Affiliated Foods Inc. when he got a chance to buy his first grocery store in 1972.

With a $1,000 loan from Warren Knight, his grocery business mentor, as a down payment, Dane Weindorf bought a store in Crossett and named it Dane’s Little Store. Eventually, he and business partner Joe Foote had seven stores in their JADE (Joe and Dane Enterprises) chain. They had two stores in Camden and one each in Crossett, Hamburg, Strong, Oak Grove, La., and Springhill, La., said Blake Weindorf.

Dane Weindorf retired after more than 30 years in the grocery business.

He was elected mayor in 2010 and remained in office until his death, said Peggy Akers, the Hamburg city clerk.

“Dane had a big heart,” she said. “He wanted to help everybody.”

“He taught us how to respect others no matter who they were regardless of status, color, creed, etc.,” Blake Weindorf said in an email. “He gave equal respect to all no matter what. He led many Juneteenth parades in Hamburg and worked hard to improve all lives in the small town.”

As mayor, Weindorf worked on many important projects in Hamburg including renovations to the city parks, the baseball park and the new fire station, according to his obituary from Jones-Hartshorn Funeral Home in Hamburg.

“He believed local government was the lifeblood of small towns in southeast Arkansas and he ran the city to a set of standards to improve the quality of life for those who lived there,” Dax Weindorf said in an email.

Dane Weindorf and his wife of 38 years Annette also had two daughters, Leslie and Angie, as well as eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, according to the obituary.

Akers said she’ll be acting mayor until a temporary mayor is appointed. She said a special election will probably be held in July to elect a new mayor.

Ashley County Judge Jim Hudson has ordered flags to fly at half staff in honor of the Hamburg mayor.

Hamburg, population 2,857, is the county seat of Ashley County.

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