Larry Wolfe
Wayne Newman (no, not Wayne Newton!) is a native of the “Show Me State;” he was born in Trenton, Missouri, and graduated from Chillicothe (MO) High. (Both towns are located in northwest Missouri not far from the Iowa/Missouri state line.) Soon after graduating, he went to work for the Rock Island Railroad, but after two years, Uncle Sam came calling and he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
That draft notice turned into a 34-year military career. Wayne initially served in a Combat Medic Unit, but over the years held numerous positions in numerous locations, including Central America and Southeast Asia. Most of his stateside assignments were in the South, including Ft. Rucker (AL), Ft. Benning (GA), Ft. Campbell (KY) and Ft. Polk (LA). His last assignment was at Williams Field in Mesa where he served as a regular Army Advisor to the Arizona Army Reserve Medical Unit.
Upon retiring from the military in 2000, Wayne decided to stay in Arizona and purchased a home in SunBird. He was single at the time, but soon met Lois and they’ve now been married for over 13 years. Wayne’s son and family, including two grandsons, live in Raymore, Missouri, south of Kansas City. Three years ago, Lois and Wayne moved to Oakwood.
When Wayne first retired, he played a lot of golf, but after meeting Lois, an avid tennis player, he switched to tennis as his main sport. Last year, he joined our Sun Lakes Softball League and now has caught the “softball bug.” This is his first venture into “organized softball,” and he’s really enjoying the experience.
Wayne’s other main hobby involves shooting and collecting guns. He’s a member of the Phoenix Rod & Gun Club where he does a lot of his target shooting. He attributes his interest in guns to both his military career and to the hunting he did as a youth.
He’s also a member of the IronOaks Breakers Pool Club. The club plays teams from around the Valley and Casa Grande. His grandfather taught him the game when he was a small child, and he’s played ever since.
The Newmans enjoy travel to California, Hawaii and other resort-like locales where they can take advantage of Wayne’s military benefits and “stay in really nice places for really nice prices.” They’ve also taken several cruises, including trips to Mexico and the Panama Canal, and have another long cruise planned for this November. That one will take them to the “South Caribbean” as well as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. And, of course, they periodically go back to Missouri to visit the grandkids.
Wayne does a lot of DIY projects around the house and occasionally uses some of the skills he learned in the military to do “handyman projects” for local realtors who are getting a house ready for the market.
As you can see, Wayne’s enjoying retirement in Sun Lakes and loves all of the activities that are available. Keeping busy is not a problem.