Obituaries

Wayne Richard Way passed away on Friday, March 24, 2023 at the age of 84. Wayne was predeceased by his parents Lorne and Alice Way, late of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He is survived by his brother Larry (Janis) Way; his children Randy (Anel) and Lee (Kevin) Brehon and beloved grandson Alexander Brehon; his nephews and nieces Karen, Jeff and Christy Way; as well as various Cull and Way relatives across the province.

Wayne grew up in Drinkwater, Saskatchewan and received his primary and secondary education there. He studied Commerce at the University of Saskatchewan and shortly after began his career at the Saskatchewan Government Insurance organization in Moose Jaw, later working in most of the major centres in Saskatchewan. He married Beatrice Pequin in 1961 and a son Randy was born in 1962 and a daughter Cindy followed in 1965. Wayne left after a fourteen-year career at SGI and established Bi-Rite Developments, a construction and real estate development firm.

Wayne was proud of the many houses he built in North and North Central Regina as well as the many custom luxury homes in University Park. He took great pride in buying and improving the many homes and apartment blocks he owned over the years.

His excellence as a person was probably best displayed in a part time trapping career where Wayne was at the pinnacle in Southern Saskatchewan in that historic industry leading in both quality and sales totals. Wayne enjoyed watching and supporting the Regina Pats, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Toronto Maple Leafs. As a younger person he enjoyed playing and coaching baseball (with some success as a coach) as well as cheering for the Dodgers.

Wayne was an avid reader and read the Leader Post from cover to cover and enjoyed his subscriptions to the Western Producer, the Western Horseman and Time Magazine. He enjoyed country music with Tom Dooley being his favorite song and Hank Williams, Buck Owens and Marty Robbins being his favorite artists. He long remembered and enjoyed seeing Sonny and Cher in Hawaii, Frank Sinatra in Vegas and meeting and having a drink with Freddy Fender in Honolulu Hawaii.

He loved horses and the western lifestyle. He thought the actor Ben Johnson was the epitome of cowboy authenticity and the movie, “The Last Picture Show” captured the essence of a declining small prairie town with nuance and sensitivity.

He loved auctions of any kind – but especially farm auctions where he reveled in the drama and excitement of being the successful bidder for something only, he found a treasure. He was a colorful if minor player in these events towards the end of his life. Wayne was a student of history and was proud to have ancestors who fought at the Alamo, and that some had been part of Abraham Lincoln’s bodyguard in the Illinois State Militia. He was especially proud of his Uncles having fought bravely and with great distinction in World War II.

Wayne was a learned man but was primarily a “self educated” man whose life was broadened by his reading and travel. For a person of his generation, he was quite proud of having been to Spain, Morocco, the Bahamas, Hawaii and numerous Western States. He was quite proud of taking his family to the World’s Fair in Spokane, Washington and taking his bewildered children to visit the tombstones of Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill and seeing the Roy Rogers Museum.

He was ahead of his time in working with First Nation and Métis people as both employees, customers and partners and his closest attachment in later years was to Yvonne Rose McAdam from Big River First Nation whose companionship and support was a boon to him that his children are eternally grateful to her for. Wayne loved Drinkwater and its people and felt that environment helped make him a dynamic business executive and resilient person when his health began to fail him in later years.

Wayne will be missed by his family and are thankful for the support he received from the staff of the Dialysis Unit of the Regina General Hospital, Hazel Eros from Renal Care at the Regina General Hospital, the Golden Oaks Retirement Home in Regina and are especially thankful to Muchmore Lodge and the Palliative Care Unit at the Pasqua Hospital.

Private family Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.