Wayne Austin Reese, age 93, traveled to his heavenly home from his earthly home in Goode, on Sunday, May 21, 2023. His name could be synonymous with the name “Faithful.” He was faithful to God, His Word, his wife, his family, his church, his employers, his friends and his favorite restaurants; especially Koffee Kup.
He will be welcomed into Heaven by his parents Morgan and May Reese, sister Dorothy, brother Morgan, and grandson Justin. He is survived by his wife Freda Charmaine Reese; his children, Nancy Sears (Danny), Glenn Reese (Victoria), and Linda “Link” Hutchinson (Hutch); grandchildren, Betsy Hudson (Mark), Ryan Reese (Kristin); and great grandchildren, Mikayla Coleman (Keilan), Kage Reese and Chase Reese. He is also survived by his sister Evelyn Schroeder (Barry) and several nephews, nieces, cousins and in-laws.
Wayne received his BA from Houghton College and Masters of Ministry from Baptist Bible Seminary, and was ordained to the work of the gospel ministry. As a pastor and missionary, Wayne led many to Christ and counseled countless others in the ways of the holy scriptures and faith.
As a motorcycle enthusiast Wayne did much of his pastoral and visitation work on his bike…in fact, the radio host Paul Harvey mentioned him on one of his programs as “The Motorcycle Preacher.” Also, Mom would hop on behind him and they would vacation with Hutch and Link on their bike, up and down the East Coast and the Midwest.
Wayne was a Navy veteran and served in the Korean War on the aircraft carrier the USS Leyte, which is featured in the major motion picture “Devotion.”
A service to celebrate Wayne’s life and faith will be held on Thursday, May 25, 2023 at 11:00 am at Thomas Road Baptist Church - Pate Chapel officiated by Pastor Rick Rasberry. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at Fort Hill Memorial Park with Military Honors provided by American Legion Post 16.
To watch the livestream of the funeral service, please visit https://watch.trbc.org/media/t/1_rc2svpri
