William Wayne Wakefield passed away at Sunrise of Roseville on March 5, 2019, at the age of 84. He was born February 12, 1935, in Hartland Township to Merle and Ardis (Ayers) Wakefield. He attended District #62 rural school and graduated salutatorian from Freeborn High School in 1953. He graduated from the University of Minnesota, then did graduate work in the field of mathematics.
In June, 1958, he married Shirley Maranda in St. Paul. He was employed in the computer industry for the entirety of his career. He worked for Boeing Company in Seattle, returning to St. Paul to work for Sperry-Rand, Univac Division—which then became Unisys—until his retirement. He spent two of these years working at the Pentagon and was involved in the NASA space program.
Wayne had a wide variety of diverse interests. He was an avid genealogist, amateur astronomer (he even built his own telescope), loved the outdoors, birdwatching, visiting National Parks, and spending time at his cabin “up north.” His passion for sports, music, and theater was evidenced by his annual season tickets to the Twins and Wild games, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Guthrie Theater. Wayne also loved to talk to people, often striking up conversations with anyone he met.
Wayne is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Shirley, and his children and their spouses: Sandra (Kevin) Zipp, Amy (Mark) Shearen, Edward (Amy) Wakefield, and Melanie Wakefield, siblings: Elizabeth Knudson, Frank Wakefield, Marilyn Anderson, and Keith (Dr. Shelley) Wakefield sister-in-law Sharon Wakefield, brother-in-law Edward Maranda, eight grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, his daughter, Heather Wakefield, brother, Clyde Wakefield, brothers-in-law David Anderson and Kernel Knudson, sister-in-law, Evelyn Wakefield, and nephew Mitchell Wakefield.
Services were held on Friday, March 8, 2019, at Kessler & Maguire Funeral Home, St. Paul, MN. Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Audubon Society, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, or donor’s choice.