Wayne Leo Garland

Wayne was born on June 21, 1946 (the summer solstice) in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was the son of Leo and Verna (Ambler) Garland.

In 1969, Wayne married the love of his life, Valarie (Saville) Garland and shared 39 years of marriage until her passing in 2008 due to a long-term illness. They shared two children, Liesel and Jason, whom he was very involved with.

Wayne lived a fulfilled life with family and close friends until his health began to slow him down. He managed a restaurant, loved coaching Liesel’s and Jason’s teams, and was a department manager for a major hardware company in North Little Rock. Wayne coached for many years. His first love for coaching came when his daughter Liesel joined a basketball team which he became involved with, soon after that he became actively involved in soccer and coached his son Jason’s team and helped start the SHHS soccer program.

Wayne was a fun, loving man that never met a stranger. He had a quirky sense of humor that kept you on your toes. Besides being involved with his family and close friends, Wayne loved the outdoors, fishing, gardening, BBQing, cooking, feeding his birds and flea marketing. His favorite holiday was the 4th of July where he would spend it with family and close friends enjoying the warm weather, watching fireworks, and working the smoker. He had a knack to make holidays special for his family and to the ladies even more, he would always have a bouquet of flowers or a corsage for them. Father’s Day was also very special, he never missed his daughter Liesel’s dance recitals, and it became a Father’s Day tradition for many years.

Wayne was predeceased by his parents Leo and Verna (Ambler) Garland, wife Valarie (Saville) Garland, sister Eddie (Garland) Barentine, and grandson Alexander Garland.

Survivors include his daughter Liesel Garland Riley and husband Zack of Sherwood, Arkansas; Jason Garland and wife Tania of Sherwood, Arkansas; 5 grandchildren Ricky, Elizabeth, Matthew, Isaac, and Caleb; as well as many cherished family and friends.

In keeping with his wishes, a graveside service will be held on Friday, December 16, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. in Rest Hills Memorial Park at the Gazebo. His family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Wayne’s honor.