Ret. Cpt. Wayne R. Garner

Retired Captain Wayne Ray Garner of Round Rock, formerly of Salado, passed away April 27, 2024, at the Olin Teague Veterans’ Medical Center, Temple, Tx. He was the youngest of fourteen children, born April 23, 1947, in Shelbyville, TX to James Washington and Syble Lee (Sparks) Garner. He graduated from Danbury High school in Danbury, TX in 1965, where he played football, basketball, and ran track. Wayne was involved with Theatre Arts and the school’s One Act Play. He was offered a scholarship to go to acting school in California, but instead, in 1967, joined the US Army where he went on to graduate from Aviation school to fly Huey helicopters. During Wayne’s first tour in Vietnam, he served in the Infantry. He was shot in an ambush while trying to get troops out and was told to rehab to get strong enough to make the flight back to the United States. Instead, Captain Garner rehabbed enough to go back into combat. All he said was, “There were a lot more that were shot up worse than I was.” After his 1st tour, he began dating the love of his life, Mollie Marie (Lostak) Garner. They married March 16, 1968. Capt. Garner did a second tour in Vietnam, this time as helicopter pilot. His responsibility was to extract troops out of the “Hot Zone” and was shot down 3 times in one day.. Yes 3! He said that God was with him that day, because the damage sustained to the helicopters should have resulted in crashing. Instead, he somehow landed a damaged helicopter and the soldiers safely, just to get into another helicopter, returning to the Hot Zone to get more troops out.

Captain Garner was awarded a Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with Numeral 25 (over 25 combat missions), Army Commendation Medal with “V” Device, Army Achievement Medal with 3 Oak Clusters, four Bronze Stars and the President Valorous Unit Award. There are numerous others, however, the above have three things in common: Combat, Valor, and Heroism. He was good… DAMN GOOD! He was a very well-respected pilot and Officer wherever he went.

While in the military Capt. Garner was stationed at Ft Rucker, Alabama where his first daughter, Charity, was born in 1970. While on his 2nd tour in Vietnam, his second daughter, Tera, was born in Houston, Texas in 1971. Once back in the states, he was stationed in Ft Benning, Georgia, his third daughter, April, was born in 1974. While stationed in Ft. Hood, Tx, they welcomed their fourth daughter, Mollie Kristina, in 1979. Wayne loved music and played the guitar and entertained thousands in his lifetime. In 1988, he retired after 20+ years of military service and settled his family in Salado. Wayne lost his wife Mollie in 2000 to cancer. He remarried in 2013 to Inna and moved to Round Rock in 2020.

Wayne is preceded in death by his wife Mollie, his parents and 12 siblings.

He is survived by his daughters Charity (spouse Larnce) Barker of Salado, Tx, Tera (Spouse Brian) Hollywood of Salado, Tx, April Hurt of Las Vegas, NV and Mollie Pederson of Orem, UT. 6 grandchildren (Whitney, Jordan, Tommie, Dillon, Jacob, and Shelby), sister Tempie Emory and wife Inna of Round Rock.

Our veterans, like our Daddy, have seen things that cannot be unseen, have heard things that cannot be unheard, and have done things (not always by choice) that cannot be undone. Though many are home from combat, there are many veterans still fighting a war… with their own personal demons. There are many physical scars, but the emotional ones are the deepest. Please pray for those that are still at war, whether overseas or here at home. In remembrance of Retired Captain Wayne R. Garner’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to the Disabled American Veteran (DAV), PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301 or by phone 877-647-VETS (8387).