Warren McCoy

Wayne was born September 7th 1920 in Abilene, Kansas, and died November 21st 2020 in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota at the age of 100. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. He is survived by his wife Virginia, 4 children, 9 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. He was also a war hero and a P.O.W.

Wayne grew up in Aitkin, Minnesota after his family moved from outside Abilene during the dust bowl. It was a family of six boys and each had a sister, as he often said, making people think before realizing it was seven kids in the family. He joined the Minnesota National Guard and then the Army Air Corp and was a bombardier and navigator on a B17 stationed in southern Italy during WWII. He was shot down over Bologna, Italy during his 22nd mission and was taken prisoner.

Wayne survived the war and returned to Minnesota where he met his first wife Eileen. They had three boys, Terry, Loren and Dean and lived in Minnesota until 1960 when they moved to Hayward, California. He was widowed in 1983 and moved back to Minnesota near his siblings in the Crosby area. There he met his second wife Virginia and her daughters, Linda and Carol. They lived in Crosby until moving to Detroit Lakes where they have been living the last 30 years until his death.

Wayne was a generous man who was always ready and willing to help family and friends. He survived many hardships during his life with bravery and courage. He was blessed with two families that loved him dearly. He kept candy in the house for the kids no matter how old and was famous for cooking his corned beef and cabbage. He was handy with a wrench and a hammer and built two homes and repaired many a car. He lived a life that few of us could have imagined. He will be missed by many. Remember him often and he will live on in our hearts.