Wayne Wall

Wayne Wall, 82, of Overland Park, Kan., passed away on Jan. 16, 2019 at the NorthCare Hospice House. He is preceded in death by his parents, Arthur “Dick” and Jessie Minerva Wall, and his sister, Dixie Samyn. He is survived by his wife, Janet; sister, Peggy Chase of Lee’s Summit, Mo.; daughters Diane (John) Rodriguez of Overland Park, Kan., and Brenda “Brin” (Jason Bell) Wall of Dallas; and six grandchildren: Jesse, Nicolette, Dominic, Siena, Liam and Watson. He also leaves behind numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Visitation for Wayne is from 1-2 p.m. and the service will follow at 2 p.m., Monday, Jan. 21, at the Johnson County Funeral Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, the family instead requests any contributions go to the NorthCare Hospice House in Kansas City or to Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care.

Wayne’s Story:

Lyonel “Wayne” Wall – no one, not even his mother, ever called him Lyonel – was born to parents Dick and Jessie at home on Sept. 12, 1936. The youngest of three children, he grew up on a farm in Miami County, Kan., where he learned at an early age the value of hard work and the delicious taste of homemade bread. In addition to helping around the farm (he was driving a tractor at 9), Wayne learned to hunt, fish and the best ways to torment his older sisters.

He attended Louisburg High School (Kan.), where he met his future wife, and graduated in 1954. From there he entered the military, actively serving in the U.S. Army. Time in the service (during which he was stationed in Colorado and Germany) had a quite an impact on the Midwest farm boy and would serve as fodder for many stories in his later years.

Wayne and Janet were married in 1958. Over the next few years, Wayne pursued higher education and eventually earned a bachelor’s from Kansas City Business College. Degree in hand, he worked for a couple of organizations before joining the Marley Co. as a cost accountant in the mid-60s, the company he would retire from more than three decades later.

Around the same time, his daughter, Diane, was born. His other daughter, Brin, would follow some years later.

In addition to his love of his family, Wayne loved cars, particularly those of his era: American metal muscle of the 1950s. He spent decades of his life working on family vehicles and he enjoyed seeing vintage cars on the road. His favorite (that he owned): a white 1951 Ford.

His aptitude for fixing things extended past cars to a general handiness around the house. From plumbing to painting, Wayne was confident of his skills. Why pay someone to do it when you can do it yourself for free?

He was also a meticulous man, which is probably why accounting appealed to him, as numbers, unlike people, are very good about following rules. Law and order applied in his private mancave, a place for everything and everything in its place.

Wayne liked to read and watch the news. He was a lifelong subscriber to the Kansas City papers. He was a dedicated watcher of the 5, 6 and 10 o’clock news. He read magazines and books, with a certain penchant for action and sci-fi/fantasy novels.

One of his greatest passions was the outdoors. Wayne hunted (deer, rabbit, squirrel, pheasants, etc.) and fished all his life. He also liked sharing stories about what he saw in nature. Two of his favorites were an afternoon of hilarity watching wild turkeys roost and an ol’ mama opossum that gave him a snoutful of attitude. He once said that if he had it to do all over again, he would have loved to have been a park ranger.

Above all, Wayne was a loyal, honest, hard-working – and sometimes hard-headed – man. Throughout his life, he supported those who needed him. He expressed his love through action rather than words.

We love you too.  And we will miss you.