Wayne Garner
Posted By Lake Shore Funeral Home On October 16, 2021 @ 11:29 am In Obituaries | 17 Comments
Wayne Garner passed from this world into the loving hands of our Lord on 10.16.21 at 5:20 A. M.
Service Information: The Memorial Service for Wayne Garner will be held at 1:00 P. M. on Monday, Nov. 1 at Woodway First Baptist Church, 101 N. Ritchie Rd., Woodway, TX 76712.
WAYNE GARNER’S life In His Words…
My name is Howard Wayne Garner; and I was born at home in Ralls, Texas, on July 26, 1941 to Lillie Mae and Howard Garner.
My mother dubbed me with the name “Waynie,” and it stuck with me the rest of my life.
I became a Christian when I was 17 years old and was baptized in Ralls First Baptist Church. I have continued to serve the Lord faithfully wherever I have worked or wherever I have lived.
I attended the Ralls, Texas, public schools. In high school I was active in football, basketball, and track. Our football team went to the Quarter Finals in my junior year. In my senior year, my basketball team won district. In track I qualified for the regional meet in the discus. I was selected to play in the Green Belt Bowl in Childress after my senior year and received a college scholarship to Texas Tech to play football.
Later, I transferred to McMurry College in Abilene, Texas, where I played football and also met the love of my life, Donna Gail Burke. We got married on Aug. 18, 1963 after Donna graduated from McMurry in June. I graduated a year later in May 1964, and we immediately began my coaching career in Tulia, Texas.
Sky Dean Garner was born to Donna and me on Dec. 3, 1967; and Guy Wayne Garner was born on July 31, 1970. Sky is married to Kerry, and they have three children – Weston, Riley, and Camryn. Guy is married to Allison, and they have two children – Cade and Carson.
During my 36 years of coaching in the Texas public schools, I had the privilege of coaching in Tulia, Plainview, Estacado High School (Lubbock), Andrews, Coronado (Lubbock), Midway High School (Hewitt), Dimmitt, Desoto, Meridian, Temple, and back to Midway High School from which I retired.
After retiring from coaching, I continued to drive a bus and then worked as a physical education aide in the Midway ISD. When I retired in June 2015, I had worked with children by either giving swimming lessons or teaching/coaching for 56 years.
I loved winning the hearts of those I taught and with whom I worked, and many have continued to be my friends throughout my retirement years.
WAYNE GARNER’S LAST DAYS
Wayne and Donna have served the Lord faithfully at Woodway First Baptist, and they particularly appreciated the spiritual support extended to them during the difficult days of Wayne’s illness. They also have fond memories of the other wonderful churches to which they belonged over their 58 years of wedded life.
They wish to extend their sincere thanks to The Delaney staff and to Wayne’s Christ-centered roommate SFC Ervin Carter; to Dr. Floyd Jernigan, their family doctor at Scott & White Fish Pond; and to the Scott & White Hospice staff who made Wayne’s last days more peaceful. Lake Shore Funeral Home helped to make his homecoming a time of celebration.
The Garner family also wishes to extend their thanks to the many people who have ministered to them through the years and to those who participated in the Memorial Service.
COMMENTS ABOUT WAYNIE
Waynie was a minimalist when it came to word economy, but some of his favorite expressions were:
“Chili dip” which meant that he was not happy with some particular event.
“If you make a mistake on the football field, make it full speed.”
“You don’t have any friends when you step over the white line.”
“Everybody is the same on the football field. How much money they came from does not matter.”
Donna and Waynie drove old Toyotas. When the headlights on the 2009 became crusted over with age, one day Waynie said, “We need to get the cataracts on our car fixed.”
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Condolences for the family of “Wayne Garner”
I so appreciate your kind and loving words about Waynie. Yes, he was a special person; and our 58 years together were a gift from the Lord. Now Waynie is getting to find out that all he believed in faith from the Bible is true indeed.
Blessings,
Donna Garner
This is Richard Bowman I stumbled on this obituary. He was a great man ! A great example of what a father, husband and coach a man can become. He raised two great sons. I miss Sky and Guy dearly. I remember my mom always reading your yearly family update letters out loud to us kids. All my love to you and yours.
Donna, I was so sorry to read about Wayne’s passing but what a Glorious Passing he had when his last breath on earth was his first breath in Heaven…Hallelujah!!!!! I loved seeing Wayne at Midway High or just out in a store…he always had that smile and so soft spoken. He WILL BE MISSED but we, his brothers and sisters in Christ, will see him “in the Morning by that Bright Riverside, when all sorrow has drifted away”! Blessings going up for you, your family and so many friends that God gives an extra helping Comfort and Peace!
I so appreciate your kind and loving words about Waynie. Yes, he was a special person; and our 58 years together were a gift from the Lord. Now Waynie is getting to find out that all he believed in faith from the Bible is true indeed.
Blessings,
Donna Garner
I am so very sorry for your loss!! My deceased husband, Dennis De Witt, and Wayne were friends and played golf together. Dennis spoke very highly of Wayne. May God bless you all with His peace, comfort, and strength in the days ahead.
I so appreciate your kind and loving words about Waynie. Yes, he was a special person; and our 58 years together were a gift from the Lord. Now Waynie is getting to find out that all he believed in faith from the Bible is true indeed.
Blessings,
Donna Garner
“The Lord is Near! Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation with prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
What a precious life of public service by Wayne.
We will all get our cataracts fixed one day soon when we join you Wayne. No tears and no blurs then.
I so appreciate your kind and loving words about Waynie. Yes, he was a special person; and our 58 years together were a gift from the Lord. Now Waynie is getting to find out that all he believed in faith from the Bible is true indeed.
Blessings,
Donna Garner
Donna, I was very sorry to hear about Wayne as he was one of my all time favorites. It really meant a lot to me when he took the time to come visit with me in the dressing room prior to our game against Midway after he had retired. What a guy!!
I so appreciate your kind and loving words about Waynie. Yes, he was a special person; and our 58 years together were a gift from the Lord. Now Waynie is getting to find out that all he believed in faith from the Bible is true indeed.
Blessings,
Donna Garner
Donna, I am sending heartfelt condolences to you and family. Wayne was an inspiration to so many, and he leaves you with wonderful years of memories to cherish.
I have never forgotten you, and I treasure the years we shared at Midway HS with colleagues, friends, and a bunch of great students.
May God bless and comfort you and your family
Thank you, Billie. It was so good to hear from you. I know you understand what it is like to lose a precious loved one.
He was a dear husband and my best friend, and I wish I had treasured more each moment that I had with him. I am very grateful that Waynie is out of his suffering and is in the loving arms of Jesus and that we will spend eternity together. Now I must learn to take one day at a time and reach out to others who are in need of comfort.
May God bless you, Billie. I remember well those wonderful years that we taught together.
Dear Garner family, The Baylor Scott and White Hospice family would like to give you our deepest condolences with our thoughts and prayers. It was an honor being a part of your lives during this time. We still care and we are still here for you! God bless you all!
Baylor Scott & White Hospice was a tremendous blessing to Waynie and also to me. I cannot express how much their love, expertise, and prayers meant to us each step of the way. They gave him much comfort while at the same time comforting our family. God was so good to bring these wonderful Hospice people into our lives exactly when we needed them.
Our friendship started in Plainview, Texas. As it turned out, Wayne had been raised in Ralls and Ralls was my husband’s first coaching job. We have some fond memories of the Garners and our first born. We were with them one day and our son wanted a drink out of his dad’s glass. Wayne gagged and said he wasn’t sure he could ever do that if he had a child. Well, I’m not sure but, I bet he ate those words when he had his two sons. We loved both Wayne and Donna. Donna always caught us up through the wonderful Christmas letter. Condolences.
Dear Nancy and Robert, thank you for your friendship, for the message posted above, and for the phone call. At a time when Robert has been very ill himself, you were praying for us. That is what God’s people do is to bring comfort to others. I am very grateful that the Lord brought you into our lives and remember fondly those days when we were young couples learning to be parents. You will be much in my prayers for Robert’s continued return to good health.
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Donna, Ty & I are so sorry to hear of Coach’s passing. You’re in our prayers.
Ty & Tammy Ballew