Wayne W. Sawyer

Wayne Warren Sawyer, 87 of Grand Island died Friday, January 25, 2019 at Central Nebraska Veterans Home, Kearney.



Memorial services will be 1:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 29, 2019 at the Central Nebraska Veteran’s Home Chapel with Pastor John Gosswein officiating. Private inurnment of the ashes will be at a later date in the Lutheran Cemetery, Orchard, Nebraska. There will be no visitation. Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimers Association of Nebraska. Apfel Funeral Home of Grand Island is in charge of arrangements.



Wayne Warren Sawyer was born, September 7, 1931, at Orchard, Nebraska the son of Alonso & Francis (Bach) Sawyer. Wayne was the oldest of three boys. He grew up in Orchard and was involved in sports while in high school. After graduating from high school in 1949 he joined the United States Army the next year. He completed his basic training and infantry training at Ft. Riley, Kansas.



He met the love of his life, Edith M. Helmricks, while in high school and they married on May 13, 1951. He was home on leave and shipped out to the Korean War a few days later. After his one-year deployment to Korea, Wayne was stationed at Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky.

After Wayne’s discharge from the Army they moved back to Orchard, and shortly after, they moved to Norfolk where they lived for 13 years while raising their five sons. In 1966, the couple moved to Grand Island where Wayne worked as a service manager at Meyer’s Farm Equipment for 30 years.



Following his retirement from Meyer’s Farm Equipment, Edith and Wayne began to travel the United States, Mexico and made several trips to Europe.



Wayne is survived his brother, Wilfred Sawyer of Ludlow, Mass.; his sons, Randall of Kearney, Roger of La Vista, Rodney and wife Linda of Ft. Collins, CO., Russell and wife Janet of Ewing, and Ronald of Grand Island; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.



He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Edith; one brother Willis; five sisters-in-law, Maureen, Joyce, Katherine, Laura, and Lynette; brothers-in-law, Eugene and Tom; and one daughter-in-law, Janice.