"A Veteran with Many Stories" Excerpts from The Cunningham Courier 2019 by Roberta Kobbe

What can a "skinny kid from Kansas" can do with his life"? If you were Wayne Dick, you'd head off to the seminary in Columbus, Ohio when you are fourteen years old. You would study for the priesthood, learn several languages: Latin, German, Greek, and Hebrew (he later learned Russian and Spanish also). He would donate blood for the first time (eventually tallying 141 pints in his lifetime). He learned to cut hair for his fellow students and continued to cut hair throughout his life in the military and for friends and family.

Wayne joined the US Air Force in 1954 and served 20 years in various capacities in military Intelligence. During this time he also served in the Vietnam War at Phan Rang airbase in 1969. He was involved with plotting missions for the fighters and bombers that were sent out in support of ground troops. He served at different bases domestically and abroad, with family in tow, including tours in Little Rock, Spain, Hawaii, Omaha, Topeka, and Wichita. He received several commendations during his time in the USAF and retired in 1974 to Derby, KS.

Wayne met his wife to be Alice Welshko from Johnstown, PA in Little Rock, AR where he was stationed at the time and they were married in 1957. They had  six children over the years and enjoyed a great family life traveling to different bases. They even made a long trip to Alaska once retired in their RV with children and grand-children coming along. Wayne started his own accounting and tax service after the military which he managed successfully for 32 years! He and Alice eventually ended up in Zenda, where he continued his life-long hobbies of gardening and fishing. And he was always proud of his "40 Volkswagens" that he or his children owned over his lifetime!

Wayne lived a full life until the age of 90. Alice had passed away in 2020 while they were both at Hilltop Manor in Cunningham. He then moved in with his son in Columbus, Ohio until the time of his death. He is survived by his children Ronald, Charles (Leisa), Raymond, Maureen, Karen (Lonny) Moyer, and Douglas. Also his 8 wonderful grandchildren – Chris, Dalton, Jackie, Rebecca, Sean, Christina, Deidre, and Lydia. And 7 beautiful great-grandchildren - Coale, Emily, Tilly, Betsy, Teagan, Isla, and Maddi. He is survived by siblings Beatrice, Virginia, Ralph (Myra), and Walter (Barbara). He is preceded in death by parents Louis and Matilda and siblings, Harold, Marcella, Leo, Delbert, Grace, Rosallen, and Norbert and his grandson Damien.

Parish Rosary will be 9:00 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022 at the St. John Catholic Church, Zenda.  Mass of Christian Burial will be at 9:30 a.m.  The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday at the Livingston Funeral Home.  Burial will be in the St. John Church Cemetery.