Willi Winger, son of Johannes Winger and Anna, was born on March 27, 1921, in Sarata, Bessarabia. As a young man, he was drafted into the German Army and served as an interpreter. He married Lilly Mayer, daughter of Nathaniel Mayer (1888-1956) and Clara L. Jundt (1888-1967), on Jan. 6, 1944, in Bergsadt, Poland. They had four children. They immigrated in 1952 and settled in Bismarck, North Dakota.