Dr. Wayne Flory

Dr. Wayne Flory went to the arms of our Lord at the age of 81 while in the care of Hospice BV Inpatient Care in the early hours of September 21, 2021. He was born in Uvalde, TX, to Frank and Grace Flory as the oldest of their three children. The early years were spent moving around south Texas, finally settling in Brownsville, Texas. He had wonderful memories of time spent at his grandparents ranch and in the Texas hill country on his uncle’s place near Dripping Springs.

After Wayne graduated as Valedictorian from St. Joseph’s High School, the family moved to Austin where he entered The University of Texas at Austin. He completed his B.S. in Chemistry in 1963 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1973. Wayne and his wife, Rita Anderson, married on October 12, 1963. The couple had two sons, Sean in 1976 and Todd in 1977. Wayne was an educator and researcher with positions in several universities between 1969 and 1988, most notably the University of South Dakota Medical School in Vermillion, ND, and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. He felt his greatest achievement during this time was the mentoring of a dozen Ph.D. and M.S. candidates. In 1988, Wayne joined the Toxicology Dept. at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, TX, where he worked until his retirement in January, 2006. During retirement Wayne made regular visits to the Hill Country that he loved, fiercely supported the Texas Longhorns and pursued his interests in history.

Wayne is predeceased by his parents, Oscar and Grace Flory; brothers-in-law Arthur “Pete” Bryant and Bill Wallen; nephew Jay Whistler.

Wayne is survived by his wife of 58 years, Rita Kay of College Station; sons Sean of Jamestown, ND, and Todd of Wiley, TX; grandsons Alister (AJ) and Grayson of Wiley, TX; granddaughter Lilah of Jamestown, SD; sister Nancy Bryant of Bertram, TX; brother Bruce and his wife Gwen of Austin, TX. He is further survived by his nieces and nephews, other relatives and many dear friends from their Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church congregation.

Special thanks go to the health care teams at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Hospice BV Inpatient Care for the care they provided for Wayne and his family over the past few days.

A private family celebration is being planned for a later date.

Memorials can be made to the Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church building fund or to Hospice BV or to a charity of your choice.