Wayne Allen Earley

Wayne Allen Earley, born June 3, 1938 in Xenia, Ohio died peacefully at Brookdale Senior Living in Westerville, Ohio on November 30, 2024. Wayne was a graduate of Ohio University where he obtained a BS in Chemical Engineering and was a member of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity.

Wayne’s first job was with DAP, but he soon moved on to a long tenure at General Electric in Coshocton, Ohio. After his time at GE, Wayne worked at Owens Corning in Toledo, Ohio before retiring as the CEO of a non-profit organization. He also consulted with many companies after his retirement from Owens Corning.

Wayne always had a love of sports and was a diehard Cincinnati Reds fan. He also loved playing baseball, golf, and tennis in his early adulthood and racquetball and pickleball in his later years. Perhaps his favorite sport, however, was bowling with his family right after Thanksgiving, a family tradition that will live on for many years to come.

When the grandchildren and great-grandchildren would come to visit, Wayne always asked them if they had a ticket. The kids also knew that seeing Papa meant some mental math and making sure that they were ‘great’ and not just ‘good’.

Wayne and Barbara celebrated sixty-two years of marriage in May of 2024. She was his Bride and he was her Pookie, and even though Wayne battled dementia for the last ten years, he always knew who she was.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Herb Earley and Alice (Hilderbrant) Earley and his brother, Jack Earley. Wayne is survived by his wife, Barbara (Daugherty) Earley, daughter Kirbie Earley, and sons Mark and Michael Earley (Johnda), as well as brothers Herbert “Sonny” Earley and Martin Earley, as well as several nieces and nephews and many cousins.

Wayne also leaves behind eight grandchildren: Kristin (Lafferty) Kelley (Kevin), Ryan Lafferty, Jaime-Lin Lafferty, Taylor Lafferty (Brent Williams), Grace Earley, Ashton Earley, Megan Earley, and Hugo Oost. He was also blessed with eight great-grandchildren: Ayden, Ava, and Alivia Garland, Andi and Zoey Kelley, and Avery, Harper, and Connor Lafferty.

But one of Wayne’s favorite ‘people’ was his beloved Charli, his four-year-old Cavachon. He would always say “There’s a puppy in here.” She loved to wake him up with kisses or sit by his favorite chair for ear rubs, often not taking, “Okay Charli, that’s enough” for an answer.

Wayne’s unexpected sense of timing when it came to his sense of humor and his way of letting everyone know they were great are things his family will remember. His giving nature and desire to always teach someone something new, especially if it related to math, will always be remembered.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations are made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation.