Bodo von der Wense

Bodo von der Wense, 81, husband to Trudy von der Wense (Wayne, PA) entrepreneurial founder of King of Prussia, PA based Rena Systems Inc, who had served on the Technology advisory board to the United States Postal Service (USPS) responsible for the creation and adoption of USPS postnet barcodes seen on nearly every mailpiece and package today, passed away with his family by his side July 11th, 2022 after a short and spirited fight with Leukemia. 

The family is planning to announce a celebration of life that honors his legacy shortly.

Born in 1940 in Berlin, Germany, Bodo’s family relocated to Hamburg, Germany, in the aftermath of World War II with. Bodo was exposed to the river Elbe, where he learned to sail, and having become rudderless after the sudden and tragic death of his father in his early adolescence, Bodo attended one of Germany’s public boarding schools in Ploen, Germany, where he learned to sail, and began his love for friendly competition and the outdoors that shaped his lifestyle for years to come.

Bodo emigrated to New York in 1961, with a job prospect in New York City that fell through on his first day. His career began inauspiciously in a local mailroom, where paid per piece, he was left to determine how to optimize his future.

Married 1968 in Queens, NY, to Trudy Hofmann, herself a German born native, the couple shortly began the legacy of business, adventure and family that they became known for. Bodo began his business career with positions in Chicago, Toronto and Denver, in sales and marketing, sailing at Lake Dillon and instructing skiing at Arapahoe-Basin, high in the Summit County mountains and prior to the building of I-70.

As a result of successes in the marketplace, Bodo landed as VP of Marketing at multinational firm Scriptomatic Inc. in Philadelphia, PA. After a series of buyouts and management changes, sensing his opportunity, Bodo and Trudy founded Rena Systems Inc. in King of Prussia, PA. Son’s Gero and Nick joined the business soon after.

Bodo’s hobbies included skiing, golf, and squash, however racing sailboats became his undeniable passion and calling. Together with his son’s Nick and Gero, with Trudy as the team manager, team turbo duck won 3 North American Championships, including the prestigious Key West Race Week, and many well known East Coast events, including Chesapeake Bay Race Week, The Newport (RI) Regatta, NYYC Annual Regatta, and local distance races in Maryland such as the Soloman’s Island Race and the Governor's Cup where the team was based. 

Bodo is survived by his sons Gero von der Wense (Limerick, Pa), Nick von der Wense, Fairfield, CT, (Victoria) and his four grandchildren Kayleigh, Sophia, Finn and Alexander, his sisters Jutta Firat (Oxford, CT), Gunda Soerensen, Hamburg, Germany, and Anemone von der Wense, Munich, Germany. Predeceased by his parents Ursula Wodtke & Horst Georg von der Wense, Bodo was loved by all of his Nieces and Nephews, both here in the USA and Germany, and the many members of his professional family at Rena, and team turbo duck.

In lieu of flowers, please remember Bodo with memorial contributions to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 6 Herndon Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403, or at www.cbf.org/memorial.