A graduate of Bennett High School, he went on to Williams College for his bachelor's, Harvard Medical School for his M.D. and interned at Massachusetts General Hospital. From 1947 through 1950 he was in the Navy and served in Long Beach, CA, Kerrvilee, TX, and Jackson, MS.
A professor of medicine and surgery, Dr. Schenk was chief of surgery at E.J. Meyer Hospital/ECMC, the chair of the Department of Surgery at SUNY AB, a pioneer in vascular surgery, transplants, blood monitoring and trauma care. He was a member of the American Board of Surgery, the American Medical Association, the American Society of Southern Surgery, the American Association of Trauma Surgery, the Society of University Surgeons, the Society of Vascular Surgery, the Society of Clinical Surgery, the International Cardiovascular Society, the American Society of Surgery, the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, the Surgical Biology Club and Phi Beta Kappa.
A lifetime amateur radio enthusiast, his hobbies included gardening, electronics, photography and steel fabricating. During his life, Dr. Schenk also built six computers.
Dr. Schenk was a member of the First United Church of Silver Creek.
He was the husband of Jean J.K. Lyon Schenk of Silver Creek; son of the late Worthington G. Schenk Sr. and Edna Klein Schenk; father of Martha Schenk, Lura Schenk, Dr. Worthington G. (Sandy) Schenk III, Elsa Kimbell, Dr. Gregory Schenk, Molly Schenk and Andrew Schenk; and brother of Marjorie Decker of Ithaca; also survived by eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
Arrangements were by the Hole-Parker Funeral Chapel, Inc.