Wayne N. Warfield

Wayne Warfield was a thinking kind of man. On the quiet side, he preferred remaining out of the limelight and knew the meaning of hard work. He was a proud American and served his country well as a patriotic Veteran of World War II. Although now gone from love's embrace, his memory will linger on forevermore in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.

From the world of fashion to the world to politics, forces clashed in the 1920s to produce one of the most explosive decades of the century. An age of prohibition, prosperity followed many new advancements, discoveries, and inventions which greatly improved the American way of life. A sense of gaiety filled the air, and The Roaring Twenties challenged America’s once conservative nature all while bringing a sense of hope to the nation. During these changing times, Nelson and Rose (Bucknell) Warfield of Gun Plain Township, Michigan welcomed the birth of their son, Wayne, born on November 11, 1921.

One of six children, Wayne grew up in the Plainwell area until his family later moved to a farm in South Haven. Just a young boy when his mother sadly died, his father soon remarried and six additional children joined the family. It made for a bustling household, and as a typical kid, he found his share of mischief. He went on to graduate from high school and with the onset of World War II, Wayne felt the call to duty. He proudly enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a decorated 1st Lieutenant with the 4th Infantry. As part of the invading forces on Omaha Beach in Normandy, he served throughout the entire campaign.

Upon his honorable discharge from the service, Wayne returned home to Michigan and went into business for himself. He opened Warfield TV and put his lifelong skills as a tried and true tinkerer to good use. He really loved fixing television sets and figuring out how they worked. An engineer by trade, he was always thinking of ways to make things better and to run more efficiently. An organized individual, he tackled a job with precision and did it right the first time.

Wayne eventually settled into married life with his first wife Irma and was blessed to be the father of their four wonderful children. His two boys, Wayne Jr. and Al, along with his two daughters, Donna and Norma meant everything to Wayne. To support his family, he eventually went to work as an engineer for the Stryker Corporation. Working in Stryker's new product design and development department was a good fit for Wayne. He was able to obtain numerous patents, parts and designs for various hospital wares while there and enjoyed his work immensely.

In the early 1970s, Wayne's wife Irma sadly died. A young widower and alone, he filled his time with work, tinkering around the house and spending time with his children who were now young adults with busy lives of their own. As a member of Cherry Creek Community Church, he also relied on his faith which he kept close to his heart.

As fate would have it, Maurice and Helen Hiler, who were good friends with Wayne, decided to set him up on a blind date with a widowed friend of theirs named Dorothy Johnson. The two hit it off right from the start, and as if it were a match made in heaven, they were joined in marriage on July 9, 1977, the very anniversary of Dorothy's parents. Dorothy brought two teenage daughters into their marriage and Wayne immediately accepted and came to love her girls as his own.

In his younger years, Wayne enjoyed the sport of bowling. In fact, he was on several leagues over the years. He also spent time deer hunting, and was fond of country music. After retiring in 1985, he and Dorothy had their sights set on hitting the open road. They had three different motor homes, and Wayne tinkered and puttered with one of them until he had it all fixed up and parked it safely next to the house. He wasn't too happy, though, when it caught on fire, but at least it didn't take the house with it! They eventually enjoyed several excursions to Texas and Florida in their motor homes, and even did a long road trip out to California and back. One of Wayne’s favorite stops along the way was the infamous, Dodge City.

For over 30 years, Dorothy and Wayne lived in the same house they called home. As they aged, their neighbors, Larry and Joyce Hanford and Glenn and Nadja Campbell were a big help for which they were very thankful. They were not only good friends, but a source of help with snow removal and yard work when Wayne’s health no longer allowed him to do so.

Although he never spoke of his war experiences in detail, Wayne was a proud American through and through. And how fitting for such a gentleman who celebrated his birthday on Veteran's Day! Just recently, while at the VA Hospital for an appointment, Wayne was quite tickled when one of his commanders from the Normandy invasion recognized his name. Wayne was seldom without his World War II hat with its special embroidered seal because after all, the war was such a large part of who Wayne was.

Several years ago, Wayne’s health began to fail and he steadily declined until he died in the comfort of his home on Monday, July 18, 2011at the age of 89. Deeply missed, he will be long remembered for his hard work ethic, love of family and patriotic spirit.

Visit with Wayne's family and share light refreshments on Thursday from 10-11 AM at Life Story Funeral Home, Portage, 5975 Lovers Lane (344-5600) where his funeral will be held at 11:00 AM at the same location. Wayne is survived by his wife, Dorothy; children: Donna (Robert) Moore, Al Warfield; stepdaughters: Barb (Arnie) Hanson, Shirley (Bill) Disney; 15 grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren; sister, Ruby Armstrong; brothers: Chuck (Dorothy) Warfield, Carl (Juanita) Warfield; many other relatives. Wayne was preceded in death by his first wife, Irma, son, Wayne Warfield and daughter, Norma Reed. Please visit Wayne’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can submit a memory or photo, sign his memory book online before coming to the funeral home or make a memorial donation to Cherry Creek Community Church.