Wayne Edwin Eckrose

Wayne Edwin Eckrose joined the eternal love of angels in heaven on Valentine's Day, after battling valiantly and nearly defeating cancer. He lived life to the fullest and loved his family and friends dearly. He is preceded by his wife Virginia Becker Eckrose, and his mother Marion Nyberg Eckrose, and his father Edwin Alfred Eckrose. He is survived by his three children, Brenda of Orlando, and Bradley of Milwaukee, and Brian of Milwaukee, and also by his brother Roy of Janesville, Wisconsin. He met and married his high school sweetheart, Virginia, in their hometown of Rhinelander, Wisconsin and was a graduate of Rhinelander High School. Wayne was a retired consulting engineer who held a variety of technical and senior engineering leadership roles in Wisconsin and Florida over his forty year career. He was a licensed Professional Engineer and graduated from the University Wisconsin – Madison in 1961 in Civil Engineering. He was an avid outdoor sportsman and loved fishing, hunting and boating. He loved fields and forests, and lakes and rivers, and had a lifelong love for being on the water. He had a passion for painting, photography, playing clarinet and saxophone, and cooking wild game and gourmet meals. He and his wife Virginia, the love of his life, had a standing Saturday date night tradition and loved exploring new dining experiences for their entire life together. He had an amazing sense of humor, and a great reverence for carrying on long-standing family traditions, from cooking heirloom family recipes, to cherishing vintage family tools, and visiting with the people he loved at very special family gathering places. He loved making things, and making things better, from custom fly rods, to custom woodwork, and beyond. It seemed to his family that he could create just about anything he thought of – and nearly everything else he could make better than it was. He was a lifelong innovator, an explorer, a mentor, technology champion, and leader who loved learning anything and everything new. He instilled those qualities and spirit into all that knew him. He often said that a day without learning was a day not lived. And that if it was worth doing, it was worth doing the best you can. For his family, and the many who knew him well, he was truly their inspiration, their hero, and their Rock of Gibraltar - and forever will be. We love you Dad! In lieu of flowers, donations can be can be made to the Medical College of Wisconsin Wayne E. Eckrose Advanced Technology and Innovation Endowment, or the University of Wisconsin – Madison, College of Engineering Wayne E. Eckrose Endowment, or the charity of your choice.