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Wayne Kassar was born in Des Moines, Iowa, to Eilene and Wayne Ferris Kassar, on Nov. 24, 1933. He died in Powell on Nov. 22, 2021.
Wayne settled in California from the 1950s to 2020, after which he and his wife moved to Wyoming.
Wayne and his first wife, Laura, had twin daughters, Annna and Emily, in 1962. When Wayne and his wife Sheryle married in 1996, they created a wonderful blended family, adding a son, Tim, and a daughter, Kristen. They had eight grandchildren: Camille, Ben, Lauren, Claire, Timothy, Anthony, Brianna and Ryan. A great-granddaughter, Remi, was welcomed to the family in 2020. Wayne and Sheryle had one daughter-in-law, Cathy, and four sons-in-law: Brett, Clif, Rick, and Lance. Wayne was proud of them all and loved them dearly.
Wayne served in the Army for two years. He was stationed in Germany. He and his buddy traveled Europe at that time. This was when Wayne gained an avid interest in cooking, which he continued his entire life. Wayne earned a degree in business and worked in that field for a while, but soon learned his deeper aspirations would be found in literature. He earned a second college degree to teach high school English, and taught at Gilroy High School in California for over 20 years. Another eight years of teaching was completed at Mount Madonna Continuation High School in Gilroy where he helped many young people finish their high school education and move on to enjoy successful lives.
Wayne enjoyed several interests aside from his work. He was an avid golfer his adult life. He tended a large garden each year and cooked using his delicious produce. He had a great passion for reading and loved to read and write poetry. He was a square dancer from 1995 until COVID hit, when the halls were closed. He danced advanced square dancing for most of his square-dancing years. Wayne loved to travel and supported many family events.
Wayne cherished his many friends from his teaching years, his square dance group and neighbors. He was blessed with a “living celebration of life,” as he called it. Many friends and family came to visit Wayne. He received texts, emails, cards, letters and phone calls expressing how he had impacted people’s lives. He got to see his people, or hear and read their messages, while he was alive! That experience was very touching and comforting for him.
Thompson Funeral Home in Powell was in charge of Wayne’s cremation. His cremains were released in the presence of many of his family at Shell Canyon in the Bighorn Mountains, per his request.
If a donation is desired, our family invites you to honor Wayne with donations to First Tee, a program that builds character and instills life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Wayne truly loved golf and held dear our youth in our country — https://firsttee.org.
Wayne says, “Carry on in good faith and with deep love.”
