Rev. Donald Garfield Wayne, Sr.

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Psalm 116:15

Rev. Donald Garfield Wayne, Sr. 66, of Madison Heights, Va. died Saturday, December 30, 2023.

Donald Garfield Wayne Sr. was born to the late Theio and Odell Reaves Wayne.

He attended the Scott Zion Baptist Church and received Christ as his Savior as a youth. He attended school in Madison Heights/Amherst County. He joined the U.S. Army after high school and received the rank of a Staff Sergeant. He served in Dessert Storm and lived in Germany for many years. When the Army stationed him at Ft. Lewis Washington, he met and married Wanda. Together they raised seven children:(three boys and four girls).

Donald loved every one of his children very much and hoped that they would always remember that fact. He supported them, raised them up in the church, (in the beauty of holiness), and he encouraged them to do their best in life. He lived to be an example of how to live godly and how to enjoy and take care of family. He always told the children to love one another, to get along with one another, and to be there for one another.

Donald loved his wife and enjoyed doing all he could to be a great husband and father. Our favorite pastime was to travel often with the children to the ocean for quick getaways. Everyone knew he had a love for old cars, restoring them and driving them around town. He had a wonderful and welcoming beautiful smile.

We all loved him and his energy to make sure that we were all taken good care of.

After leaving the Army he became a business owner and operated the largest black owned childcare center in Tacoma. After he sold that business, he began work at the US Postal Service in Seattle and then Tacoma. His first job was as a tractor trailer truck driver, transporting the mail all in the area. He ended his career there as a Network Specialist, in charge of all the affairs of the contract truck drivers for the post office. He enjoyed the childcare center, and the post office careers immensely.

Donald received his call to preach. When he first started attending church in Washington he served as an "usher at the door", as he would proudly say. He later became a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And later, after taking the necessary classes and going before the board, he became a licensed and ordained Elder and Pastor in the grand old Church of God in Christ. He converted a building on our property that he restored old cars in, into a church sanctuary, and he pastored a congregation for approximately 8 years there. The vision given to him was to "restore people back to the Lord like he used to restore those old cars". He would go to the streets and to the homeless and bus them back to the church and preach to them and feed them after every church service. He was able to counsel and see many people restored back to the Lord and then go on to reconnect with their families, while some went on to be with the Lord. He always had a song to sing and a word of encouragement to help different ones that were troubled. He enjoyed praying. Prayer was the key to everything he would say. Learn to pray and pray at all times. The children would often hear him praying in the house, praying and singing. He loved praising God!

When he retired joyfully from the post office he moved back to his hometown in Madison Heights. Donald was adamant about moving back to Madison Heights to be near his mom and family after retiring from the post office. He loved his mom and brother and sisters very much, as well as his aunties, uncle, cousins and friends.

Upon returning to Madison Heights, he received a great job working as a bus driver for the Amherst School District. Donald truly enjoyed interacting with children and loved the ones that he transported on his bus.

In addition to his dad Theio Wayne, Donald was preceded in death by his brother Calvin Wayne. He is survived by his wife, Wanda, his mother Odell Wayne, his brother David and his sisters Cindy and Sharon (step sister), Aunt Frances Liggon, Aunt Margaret Reaves, Aunt T.D. Wayne, sons: Donald Jr. (Courtney), Chris (Cierra}, and Daniel, daughters Angelica Bashay, Antoinette, Anita and Audrey Wayne, nephew JC Couch (Melanie), nieces Ciarra Turner and Jasmine Wayne and 10 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren, 4 great nieces and 1 great nephew, and a wonderful great host of loving cousins.

A funeral service will be held at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, at Scott Zion Baptist Church; 2602 Galts Mill Rd, Madison Heights, VA 24572. Visitation will be held at the church one hour before the service. Interment will be directly after the service at Scott Zion cemetery. A repass will follow in Scott Zion church.

"To everything there is a season, a time to be born, and a time to die". Eccl 3:1,2

Tharp Funeral Home, Madison Heights, is assisting the family.