Wayne Robert Gaerlan, Jr passed away peacefully on October 10, 2018 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
He was born December 20, 1961 in Blue Island, IL to the late Wayne Robert, Sr. and Diane Clair Gaerlan. In addition to his parents, Wayne was also preceded in death by his beloved daughter Sarah Lynn Gaerlan, as well as several aunts and uncles.
Wayne is survived by his wife of 17 years, Rebecca (Becky) Lynn Gaerlan, 10 children, their spouses and 7 grandchildren that comprise their blended family: Joshua (Josh) Gaerlan; Naomi Gaerlan and her children Matthew, Michael and Marshall; Priscilla and her husband Scott Comfort and children Isabella and Isaac; Jeremiah (Jerry) Gaerlan; Sophia and her husband Skyler Gorzney and their children Titus and Jonah; Susanna and her husband Cameron Dalsing; Jeremy McIntyre; Joel Gaerlan and his fiancé Audrey Byerly; Katheryn (Katie) McIntyre and Cassandra (Cassie) McIntyre. Additionally, Wayne is survived by three siblings: Susan Gaerlan; Anthony (Tony) and his wife Adrian Gaerlan and their sons Colin and Logan; and Bradley (Brad) and his wife Rosalind Gaerlan. He is also survived by a large extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins in the Midwest.
After graduating Lyons Township High School in 1980, Wayne left LaGrange Park, IL to join the Army and was stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. He served in the Army from August 20, 1980, completed his active duty tour on August 19, 1982, and finished with the Army Reserves on August 19, 1986. He fell in love with Colorado Springs. On June 18, 2001, he married Becky McIntyre, having met her on a Christian social network.
Wayne was a member of Rocky Mountain Calvary Chapel for 22 years where he was a volunteer in several ministries of the church. Wayne worked for ACSI for 15 years and finished his career as an Educational Resource Consultant. His coworkers thought of him as putting the kind in “One of a kind” and being the “voice of reason.”
Wayne was very family focused and loved his family more than anything. Wayne was a self-taught do-it-yourselfer having even taught himself how to do all home electrical wiring and passing the electrical inspections on the first attempt in the home he and Becky were building in the mountains. Wayne was a Boy Scouts of America Assistant Scoutmaster and then Scoutmaster. He was especially proud of helping Jeremy and Joel both attain their Eagle Scout rank.
Wayne’s hobbies included Reading, Gardening, Camping (especially in National Parks), Backpacking, Cooking, Studying the Bible, and Photography where he was never hidden behind the camera but was always capturing the moment. Wayne was an avid Chicago Cubs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Chicago Bears fan. Wayne was well known for his pranks and jokes where he enjoyed making others laugh. He was always willing to help others and was often known for doing acts of kindness.
You’re home now, God has taken you back. You will be missed, but not forgotten.
A special thank you to friends, and friends of the family for your support during this difficult time.
It was Wayne’s desire that In lieu of flowers, donations be made to an Association of Christian Schools (ACSI) Christian scholarship fund that has posthumously been renamed in honor of Wayne:
- To donate online, go to the ACSI “donate” website at https://www.acsi.org/donate. From the “Designation” dropdown, select “Other.” In the second box that pops up when “Other” is selected, type “Wayne R. Gaerlan Christian School Scholarship Fund.” Follow the rest of the prompts for donation.
- Checks or cash can be donated by mailing to Association of Christian Schools International, Attn: Cheryl Wood, 731 Chapel Hills Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920, with checks being payable to “ACSI” and a memo of “Wayne R. Gaerlan Christian School Scholarship Fund.”
Mary Ann Harless
14 Oct 2018Thinking of all of you in this most difficult time. Let him live on in your hearts and in your lives. Love ya
Joe P
14 Oct 2018I am saddened by our loss but acknowledge Wayne’s gain. He will be missed.
Mark Webb
15 Oct 2018I am so sorry. Wayne and I had many discussions about Bible commentaries, study books, and history books. We worked together at ACSI for several years. Prayers for his wife and family.
Charissa Gonzalez
15 Oct 2018I love you guys!! God is with each of you as you grieve in dealing with your pain. Lean on him.
Pearl Martine
15 Oct 2018I worked with Wayne and he will be missed. I am a part of the ACSI family. Condolences to his family and to the ACSI family.
Jill Richter
16 Oct 2018Dearest Becky and family, My sincerest condolences to you all. Hoping you find peace and comfort in the days ahead.
Lennie Jeffcoat
17 Oct 2018My prayers and thoughts are with Becky, and the entire family. Your dad was awesome and he loved you all so much. He is the best dad & grandpa I’ve ever met. He walked in Gods love with everyone. I’m blessed to call him my friend and will miss him immensely. I worked with Wayne at ACSI for the last 14 years.
John Shook
18 Oct 2018Wayne was always friendly and full of little “tidbits” when talking about technology. It seemed that he always knew some little interesting thing about many different subjects. I really enjoyed working with Wayne, and talking to him whenever he needed his computer fixed. I will miss him! Prayers of comfort to his family, may the Lord bless and comfort you all! John Shook, ACSI IT Systems Administrator.
Julia Evans
19 Oct 2018Wayne was a delightful friend and coworker at ACSI. This past winter he made contact with me as he had become interested in blacksmithing, and I was happy to hook him up with my husband. We are deeply saddened at his loss and send our love, thoughts and prayers to Becky and all of Wayne’s family.
Cheryl Gault
22 Oct 2018Though I never had the privilege of meeting Wayne face to face, he was always a joy to work with through email, as he was always so responsive as I helped to make arrangements for his attendance at some of our ACSI Professional Development Forums just a year ago and also he was so helpful in the Spring of this year when I asked him several questions about textbooks in our office as we tried to make decisions on what was important to send back when our Florida Region office was going remote. I also remember his kind e-mail to check up on us in our Florida region after the hurricane last year. I have been and will continue to pray for you Becky and for all of your family through this difficult time of loss. I know Wayne will be missed so very much by everyone.
Anonymous
20 Nov 2018I am sorry for your loss. I used to work with Sister Colleen.
Jason Land
31 May 2019I’m sorry so late as I am just now hearing of this. I am deeply saddened to hear this news. You taught me so much in our time together in Troop 7. Thank you for everything you did for me and my son! You will greatly be missed!