Wayne Everett Prince

A graveside service for Senior Master Sergeant Wayne Prince, USAF, (Ret), 78, of Tyler, will be held on Friday, November 21, 2014, at 1:00 PM at Rose Lawn Cemetery with Rev. Dennis Cable officiating under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. Mr. Prince passed away Monday, November 17, 2014, in Tyler after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was born at home on a farm outside Corsicana on February 28, 1936, to Earl and Lou Grubbs Prince. Wayne enlisted in the Texas National Guard at age 17 and transferred to the Air Force at age 18 where he proudly served his country for 22 years. During that tenure, despite having little formal education, he attended any university near his post and eventually completed an undergraduate degree from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University) in San Marcus and a graduate degree from Wichita State University in Kansas. He retired to Holly Lake Ranch, a golf and lake community near Hawkins in 1998. Avid golfers, he and his wife Patricia (Pat) have been members of 5 golf clubs over the past 15 years including Holly Lake Ranch, The Links at Lands End, Terravita in Scottsdale, AZ, Hollytree, and Peachtree/Oakhurst. Upon retirement from the military, he entered the municipal sports, recreation and leisure manage field. His first job was Director of Recreation and Sports for the city of Hutchinson, KS from 1975-1983. From 1983-1985, he was the National Executive Director for the National Alliance for Youth Sports headquartered in Palm Beach, Fl. He entered the private sector in 1985 where he supervised the construction of and management of a number of private sports complexes in Kansas and Texas. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his loving family including his wife, Patricia (Pat) Prince of Tyler; sons David, a Data Systems Engineer in Wichita, KS, Steven, a Mechanical Engineer with Cessna, in Wichita, KS, and Michael, a Major USMC (Ret) of Jeffersonton, VA; daughter Stephanie, a journalist, scientist, blogger, and business owner, of Little River, KS; sister Betty Martin of Longview; brother Les Prince of Illinois; 7 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Visitation is scheduled from 12:00-1:00 PM on Friday, November 21, 2014, at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway, in Tyler.

Wayne Everett Prince

February 28, 1936 - November 17, 2014