Wayne E. Paddock

There once was a boy named Wayne.

It was about mid February of 1951 when all of a sudden, he started his journey into this world.

His first stop was Syracuse, NY where he spent some time with his parents, Ned and Dorris Paddock along with his siblings Gary, Suzanne, Darlene and Scott. As he grew his faith in God grew too, finding him another family to be part of. And without hesitation, at the age of 10, he got baptized in a horse's trough. A decision that made him gleam with pride for over 61yrs. as one of Jehovah's Witnesses and his happiness spread to helping others come to love Jehovah too!

He learned many lessons along his journey and one that echoed from the very beginning was that life is often unfair. This lesson he learned hard and fast, as he was no stranger to pain. But, do you think that stopped Wayne? No, he kept on movin' and livin' as his favorite country song might say. For he was on the move again, this time up north. Where you could find him one day cutting cabbages in a field, working his way up from dishwasher to selling donuts out of a truck or stamping shoes one after another and even stacking haystacks better than anyone could. For sure, the proof was there in the strength of his arms that he was a hard workin' man.

Though many people came across his path only one stood out from the rest. And this natural beauty he didn't want to forget even if it meant selling his GTO just to see her again! So, Terri, a pretty waitress, soon became his wife or as he often called her, Teresa. Together they navigated through life, becoming a team. Even starting and running a successful cleaning business for over 30yrs. Usually you'd see him in the garage fixing up the equipment or waxing the cars using his special technique, and more recently sitting with his doggies. He'd always try and stay busy to find some sanity in a house full of girls and that's not easy when even the dog is a girl and there's only one bathroom!

Raising a family sure gets expensive so he found deals along the way and tricks like sneaking us in to catch the end of a Beach Boys Concert or surprising us with mystery donuts. His love of a bargain carried onto Craigslist adventures and so often led to finding a new toy to light up his Grandson's face. Wayne and Terri taught their girls that life is best when you share what you have with others and you don't have to have a lot to be happy.

As more of life's trials came into their laps Terri often recalls how Wayne would crack a joke to lighten the mood. And though a man of few words, you learned to hear the unspoken things he felt by what he did or asked of you. At the same time, he could talk for hours as he was full of stories and some even left ya guessing if they were true. But, together they learned to soak up life's good moments by taking day trips and they sure were cute playing hooky.

Moving on in life's journey he had to leave behind his sister Darlene, his brother Scott and his Father and his Mother. But, to add to the many, many cousins, nieces and nephews, his family gained three little blessings (Caleb, Hayleigh and Noah) who called him Papa and each one bonding with him in their own special way.

Yet, as life goes on with its highs and lows, he took it like a champ and turned it into a joke. All the while having the prettiest companion loyally by his side for 48 years. Though, Wayne's journey has been put on pause we can pick up where he left off by sharing a memory or two with his loving wife, Terri, Suzanne and Tom, Bec and Kev, Melissa and Jeremy, Sarah and Kyle, Suz and Nick and of course, Caleb, Hayleigh and Noah too!

What's your favorite memory about Wayne, Dad or Papa? Please share it and let's keep the jokes coming. Before we know it we'll be laughing on into Paradise and there he'll be smilin' away.

A virtual service will be held on Satuday August 13th, 2022 at 2 PM. (Zoom ID - 87204660713 Passcode-662134)

To leave a special message or memory for Wayne's family please visit the guestbook below.