Wayne Edward Leatherman

Wayne Edward Leatherman was born November 7, 1946 and passed in to eternity with his Heavenly Father on July 27th, 2023. He was the second of five children born to True & Frankie Leatherman in Beaver, OK. Their oldest child was a daughter and Wayne was the oldest of four sons. The family eventually moved to Gruver, TX and owned a family farm. From a very young age, Wayne worked alongside his dad in the fields. His mother was a third grade teacher. Wayne was 5 years old when his dad taught him how to drive the tractor. By the age of 7 or 8 years old, Wayne learned to drive the old farm truck. He always worked hard and would help in the fields before and after school to help his dad. While in high school, he accepted God’s call to ministry in the church. Wayne graduated from Gruver High School where he played football, basketball, and ran track. He was also active in the school band (tuba), was elected as Mr. GHS and sang in his church choir. He started preaching in Brownwood, TX at Howard Payne College where he also attended school. Wayne married Karen Gist of Pampa, TX at Hobart Baptist Church on September, 3, 1966. They lived in Brownwood, TX for seven years. Wayne worked as a Produce Associate at Buddies grocery store in Brownwood. Wayne pastored a small country church called Scallorn Baptist Church between Goldthwaite, TX and Lometa, TX during their years living in Brownwood. They moved to Killeen, TX in 1973 and settled there. Wayne worked as a Produce Manager for three years with Buddies until it became Winn-Dixie in 1976. He continued as a Produce Manager for Winn Dixie mostly working in Killeen, TX, but then moved to the Lampasas, TX store towards the end of 17 years. In 1993, Wayne began to work for Albertson’s as a Produce Associate in Temple, TX. He worked there and eventually in Killeen until 2005. As Albertson’s was closing down, Wayne helped open the new Walmart (Harker Heights, TX) as a Produce Associate in 2005. He worked there until 2015 when he got sick and was forced to retire. During all these years of employment, Wayne never missed a day of work for sickness. Wayne and Karen had two children, Lindsay (1976) and Dustin (1983). Wayne was a man who loved the Lord wholly and who loved his family deeply. He was a devoted and active husband & father who could often be found with his kids at after school activities such as music lessons, swimming lessons, gymnastics, dance & twirling lessons, martial arts lessons, sports practices, or just playing at one of the local parks. If extra practice was needed, he was right there to help or assist. He listened to unlimited hours of guitar and piano practice, and don’t forget the drums! He taught his kids how to throw a perfect spiral or how to swish a shot from anywhere on the basketball court to changing any type of flat tire and everything in between. He enjoyed going fishing with Karen and the kids, especially at the Belton Lake docks. Wayne took up tennis right alongside his kids (this began when his oldest was in middle school & high school) and often you could find him on the courts helping them practice. He played in doubles leagues paired up with them in the evenings. You would often find him standing near the bleachers at school practices or hear his encouragement through the covered fences during matches. He cheered on his children, but also the rest of the team as well. He was one of the team Dads and even traveled to out of town competitions when he could. He would fill up water jugs or retrieve a rogue tennis ball as needed. He always had such a giving and servant heart. Wayne always had a smile for everyone that he met and had an uncanny ability to spread joy to others with an endless supply of jokes, funny songs, his “Donald Duck” impression, and if needed, his famous train whistle sound, which he learned from his mother-in-law, Lessie Gist. Over the years, many a weary mom was blessed by Wayne in the grocery stores where he worked. He would get the attention of their restless children and entertain them in the produce department. He was definitely one of a kind. Wayne loved singing and would often be found singing hymns, Christian children’s songs or contemporary worship songs. Even long road trips were made better with singing and harmonizing. Who needed a radio when Wayne was along for the ride? He loved every chance that he got to spend time with his grandchildren. He entertained them and loved on them. He was able to teach the oldest two how to fish. He would play games with them. But most of all, he loved sitting back and taking it all in… listening to them talking and telling stories, watching their facial expressions and seeing them interact with one another. With the help of technology, they would video chat sometimes, but there were always new pictures to see. They always loved hearing Grandpa Wayniepoo’s funny stories, silly songs and jokes. Wayne lived in a wonderful skilled nursing care facility for the last eight years of his life (from 2015 - 2023) due to the level of medical care he required. Even in these later years, Wayne spread joy and the love of Jesus among the residents and the staff. They loved him, his witty remarks and comebacks, his infectious smile, his fun personality and his singing as they cared for him. It brought him great joy to do for and give to others. Wayne would often ask Karen to bring snacks or gifts to the staff. He was their family and they were his. And Karen was included as well. He was preceded in death by his father, True Leatherman, his sister Phyllis Leatherman Tolle and brother-in-law Jack Tolle, his brother Gene Leatherman, and his nephew Michael Leatherman. He is also preceded in death by father-in-law Jack Gist and mother-in-law Lessie Gist, and his brother-in-law and his wife Phil Gist and Skeet Gist. He is survived by his wife Karen Leatherman, who he always called Sam, of Killeen, TX, his daughter Lindsay (Michael) Tice of Glendale, AZ, and his son Dustin (Nicole) Leatherman of Killeen, TX, his Little Landry Love who lives with Karen, his mother Frankie Leatherman of Bixby, OK who just turned 102 years old, his twin brothers Gary Leatherman of Bixby, OK and Jerry (Rita) Leatherman of Amarillo, TX, and his sisters-in-law Gayle (Kenneth) Steward of Pampa, TX and Dianna (Ellis) Knight of Howardwick, TX. He loved being Grandpa “Wayniepoo” to his grandchildren Grace, Benjamin, John, Rachel, Sarah, Andrew, Nathan, Daniel, and Hannah Tice of Glendale, AZ, and “Trouble” to his granddaughter Aneesa Pletcher of Killeen, TX. He was Uncle Wayne to Pam, Randy, Traci, Corrie, Robin, Andrew, Jeremy, Jeff, Kenny, Chris, Michelle, Andy & Amber and their families. He was also survived by many cousins. The family will have a Celebration of Life memorial service at Hobart Baptist Church in Pampa, TX at 10:00 in the morning on Saturday, September 2nd. The address is 1100 W Crawford St, Pampa, TX 79065. Please dress comfortably. It is summer in the Texas panhandle and it gets hot! Lunch will be provided for family followed by a brief family ceremony to spread Wayne’s ashes.

Wayne Edward Leatherman

November 7, 1946 - July 27, 2023