Wayne Lyle Van Cleave
Wayne Lyle Van Cleave
Wayne Lyle Van Cleave, 61, was called home to heaven suddenly
and unexpectedly while at UW Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, where he
was awaiting a liver transplant. He passed just prior to midnight on December
10, 2015, with his loving wife by his side.
Wayne was born January 17, 1954 in Boise, Idaho to Rudy and
Velma (Dougal) Van Cleave. In 1962, his stepfather moved the family to Germany,
and later to the Bay area, to complete his service in the army. They returned to
live in Boise in the summer of 1968. It was then, in the foyer of Cole
Community Church, that Wayne met his future wife, Judy Bright.
Wayne’s most defining characteristic was decidedly his drive. It was a quality readily apparent in him as a burgeoning young man and dominated throughout his all-too-short lifetime. He was a serious and hard worker; focused, and forever making plans. He was unfailingly willing and able to lend a helping hand. Blessed with the gift of design, he was a true visionary with the skill and ability to execute his visions. It did not take Joe Keto, his initial HVAC employer, long to recognize and reward his talent and initiative after hiring him to work part-time during high school.
Eager to begin life together, Wayne and Judy married in
January of 1973 and moved into their first home, a little 1927 bungalow on
North 28
th
, just three days following his nineteenth birthday. Together
they gutted and rebuilt their little kitchen then learned the happy news that
their first child was on the way. Not long after, Wayne received the
devastating news that his boss and mentor had passed away. The following year,
at just twenty-two, he welcomed his baby girl to the world and founded his own heating
and cooling company
—Quality.
Quality’s first location was a former chicken coop that Wayne
industriously remodeled and added onto. Not long thereafter, in need of more
space, he designed—and with the help of his stepfather and friends—built his
current building on President Drive. When he moved in in January of 1980, some
questioned the remoteness of the location. It was true then that he was privy
to unencumbered sunsets and all manner of wildlife in the open space that
surrounded him. Now, though, we are in the midst
—hotbed—
of all manner of HVAC activity.
In 1985, during the chaos of a major home remodel (on the
West Bench), he received the news that his second child was, at last, on the
way. He (reluctantly) forewent his annual hunting trip for his son’s delivery—two
weeks and two days past due and long into the hunting season. Since then, they
have (more than) made up for the miss with their many treks to the mountains
together, including this past September when he hiked some eighty miles while
bow hunting in Northern Idaho.
In his later years, his children blessed him with five
fabulous grandchildren. With the birth of his first, there was never any question
of the proud and devoted Papa he would be. He spent every night with his
daughter after her baby was ambulanced to another hospital’s NICU. It was
obvious to everyone who knew him that his grandkids were the light of his life;
the joy he wore was unmistakable with the sight of each one of their sweet faces.
In the words of his grandson Ivan, “Papa Wayne loved all of his grandkids so
much and they loved him more than anything in the whole world!”
Wayne was a provider in the truest sense of the word. He
provided love, loyalty, and sustenance for his family, employment for them and his
employees, and phenomenal skill and expertise to his community. His story is
the story of a man, a beautiful amazing man, with incredibly creative hands,
who gave every good gift he had
—the whole
of his life—
to those he loved and cherished, and to those he designed his
life to serve. It was his way of demonstrating his devotion to them and to his
Maker—to all that is good, true, beautiful, and loving. For that, and so much
more, he is deeply loved and will be sorely missed by those who hold him dear. Ours
is an unthinkable, and untimely, loss.
Wayne was preceded in death by his father, Rudy, his stepfather
Lou Chase, and his much-loved in-laws Paul and Helena Bright. He leaves behind Judy,
his devoted wife and life-partner of nearly forty-three years; their cherished
children, Summer Joy and Jordan Wayne, and children-in-law, Aaron Folwell and
Ashley (Smith) Van Cleave; their treasured grandchildren, Bailey and Ivan
Folwell, and Takoda, Kylie and Breckan Van Cleave; his mother, Val; and many other
beloved members of his and Judy’s
families, adopted families,
and treasured friends.
We hoped against hope that Wayne would receive the gift of a
donated liver in time to extend his valued life. In this season of giving,
especially, we ask that you consider, in life, giving the gift of blood, and in
death, giving the gift of life by becoming an organ donor.
Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday,
December 22, 2015 at the Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel. There will be a viewing and visitation from
5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, Dec. 21st also at the funeral home.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Wayne Lyle Van Cleave, please visit our flower store.
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