Francis Wayne Speer

Francis Wayne Speer of Perry, OK, passed away peacefully at Perry Memorial Hospital on Monday, September 10, 2018 surrounded by his family. He was 96. Services have been entrusted to the care of Dighton-Marler Funeral Home of Perry.
Visitation will be noon to 8PM Wednesday, September 12, 2018 and 9AM To 8PM Thursday at Dighton-Marler Funeral Home. Family will greet guests from 6PM to 8PM Thursday at the funeral home.
A Celebration of Wayne’s life will be held on Friday, September 14, 2018 at 2PM at the First Christian Church in Perry. Pastor Josh Bell and Martin Foster will officiate. Wayne’s grandsons and great-grandsons will serve as his pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be Dale Dunivan, Clyde Speer, Leon Hughes, and Mark Schardein. Interment will follow at Sumner Cemetery in Sumner, OK.
Wayne was born July 6, 1922 to Lawrence and Ellen (Turner) Speer. Wayne was born on the family farm just west of Morrison that his father had homesteaded in 1893. Growing up during the depression of the 1930’s he attended a one room school named Windy Center the first 8 years of his education and graduated from Sumner High School in 1940. He attended Hills Business School in Oklahoma City. After the start of World War II he enlisted in the Army Air Corp on November 10, 1942 and served his country until October 3, 1945. He served almost 28 months in North Africa, Sicily, Western Europe, and later in Brazil. Then, after receiving an honorable discharge from the Army, he came home and married his sweetheart Doris Mae Bowers on October 18, 1945. To this union two children were born, Roger Allen Speer and Jeannie Gail Speer.
Following in his grandfather’s footsteps, Wayne relied on the skills he had learned on the family homestead and became the next generation Farmer/Rancher of the Speer family. He enjoyed raising cattle and working the land he had grown to love. He and his son, Roger, enjoyed going to auctions and caring for their cattle together. After Doris passed away in 1994 Wayne continued to live on the farm. In 1996 he moved to Perry and was married to Norma Williams until her death in 2002. In 2003 he married Norma Shoop. They were married until her death in 2016.
Wayne enjoyed going to the Senior Citizen Center in Perry every day he could to visit his friends and play dominos and cards. There he was named Perry Senior Citizen of the Year in 2014.
He enjoyed having lunch with friends at “their table” at the WheatHeart Nutrition. He enjoyed playing Bingo at the American Legion and Exchange Bank, and playing cards at Dairlyland on Wednesday evenings. He dearly loved his birthday parties his children would throw for him, as it would bring family and friends together for an afternoon of visits and food. Being a WWII vet, it was not difficult for Wayne to draw a crowd when he began sharing his military stories. If not telling WWII stories, he enjoyed telling of his youth and early life. He was a member of the Noble County Genealogy and loved learning the history of the County from others as well as sharing early day history.
His faith in Christ was the cornerstone of his life. He was a longtime member of the First Christian Church in Perry where he faithfully attended until his health began to fail him. It was his desire to spend these last days as active as possible with those whom he could visit, laugh and enjoy living out his life to the full.
Wayne is proceeded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Ellen Speer; one son, Roger Speer; one sister, Gertrude Dunivan; and one brother, Chester Speer.
He is survived by his daughter, Jeannie Schardein and husband Mark of Morrison, OK, step-daughter, Pam Gierhart and husband Roger of Katy, TX; step-son, Vince Shoop and wife Jamie of Perry, OK; daughter-in-law, Denise Speer of Stillwater, OK; three grandchildren, Kerri Yee and husband Rob of Stillwater, OK, Greg Speer and wife Rachelle of Edmond, OK, and Robert Schardein and wife Julie of Morrison, OK; six grandchildren, Jordan Yee, Katelyn Yee, Jason Yee, Luke Speer, Roman Speer, and Sarah Schardein; numerous nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.
Condolences may be sent to the family via an online guestbook at www.dightonmarlerperry.com.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions can be made to the Perry First Christian Church, the Perry Senior Citizens Center and the Noble County Genealogy Society in c/o Dighton-Marler Funeral Home, P.O. Box 189, Perry, OK, 73077.