Wayne Norman Elliott

Wayne Norman Elliott, at the age of 84, passed away peacefully in the presence of his sons in Salem, Oregon on Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

This kind and gentle man is survived by his sons Bryan, Bruce, and Brady Elliott, and his sister Kaye, who is married to Phil Fox. Additionally, he had seven grandchildren: Bryan and Teresa’s children, Nathan and Samantha, Bruce and Jean’s children, Sarah, Aaron, and Ethan, and Brady and Loni’s children, Benjamin and Hannah. He also had two great-grandchildren, Demi and Blake Alvarado, the daughters of Samantha and Nick Alvarado.

Wayne was born in South Bend, Indiana on July 1, 1935 to David and Berniece Elliott. He had nine siblings and half-siblings, both older and younger. The family later moved to Seaside, OR; Shelton, WA; and Lomita, CA. In LA, he met a beautiful young nurse, Belva “Ann” Frink and they were engaged at about the same time as Wayne was called into service in the U. S. Army. He married Ann on April 23, 1958 in Pender, NE, after which they moved to Fort Sill in Oklahoma, where their first son Bryan was born.

After Wayne completed his service, they moved to Huntington Park, CA, where he worked for Rockwell International Space Division as a draftsman, designer and troubleshooter. Here they welcomed sons Bruce and Brady into the family. They were very active members of Huntington Park United Methodist Church. Wayne also served as president of the Y’s Men for the YMCA. Moving to Pleasant Hill, Oregon in 1979, Wayne worked for the University of Oregon supervising the machine shop, and later became a licensed contractor, operating his own handyman & remodeling business until he retired. He and Ann were members of the Ebbert Memorial United Methodist Church in Springfield Oregon, where he served as an usher and trustee, as well as faithfully serving in the weekly meal to the homeless for many years.

In their retirement years, Ann & Wayne enjoyed travelling by air and sea to visit their friends, children and grandchildren, as well as to Hawaii, Mexico, Bermuda, the Azores, the U. K. and Continental Europe. They also travelled to many parts of the U. S. in their travel trailer, including a memorable trip driving all the way to Alaska.

Wayne was a loving and hard-working provider for his wife and family. He loved to serve others and to lend a helping hand whenever he could, often serving in support roles in church and community groups. He attended many of his children’s and grandchildren’s arts and athletic events, and loved to hold and play with his grandbabies. He was friendly, generous, and loved to tinker and fix things. He often cracked jokes with his caregivers in his later years, and loved helping out those less physically able than he was within his various care home communities. He will be remembered as a devoted and generous husband, father, grandfather, and church member who cheerfully served others.