Wayne Townsend of Hartford City,
Indiana, passed away on July 3, 2015 surrounded by his family. He was 89.
Born on the family farm in Grant County,
Indiana (near Upland) on May 1, 1926, Wayne was the sixth and youngest child of
Jay Livingston Townsend and Blanche Gillespie Townsend.
He started school at Walnut Creek
Elementary School at the age of five.
Wayne graduated from Jefferson Township High School in 1943. Though his parents did not attend high
school, they encouraged all of their children to attend college. Like his older brothers and sisters, Wayne
attended Purdue University. He enrolled
in the fall of 1947, and he graduated in June of 1951 with a Bachelor of
Science Degree in Agriculture.
Wayne returned to the family farm near
Upland, Indiana and married his college sweetheart, Helen Hardin, in November
of 1953. In March of 1954, Wayne entered
military service and trained at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas and Fort Holibird,
Baltimore, Maryland. For the remainder
of his military career, he served in Washington D.C. as a special agent in the
Counter Intelligence Corps.
Wayne and Helen returned to the family
farm near Upland, Indiana in March of 1956.
They have five children, Jay (born in 1954), Mark (born in 1955), Lisa
(born in 1958), Steve (born in 1960), and Alan (born in 1963). In 1965, Wayne and Helen purchased a farm in
neighboring Blackford County, Indiana, and the family moved there the following
year.
Wayne was extremely proud of his
children. All five graduated from
Blackford High School. And all five also
graduated from Purdue University.
Wayne enjoyed politics. In 1958, at the age of 32, Wayne was elected
to the Indiana House of Representatives from Grant County and Blackford
County. Wayne served six years in the
House of Representatives. In 1970, he was
elected to the Indiana State Senate and served 16 years, retiring from the legislature
in 1986. During his 22 years in the
legislature, Wayne served either on the House Ways and Means Committee or the
Senate Finance Committee.
In 1984, Wayne was the Democratic
nominee for Governor in the State of Indiana.
He lost narrowly to Robert Orr even though the Republican candidate for
President, Ronald Reagan, carried Indiana by a wide margin.
Wayne loved Purdue University. He attended his first football game at Ross
Ade Stadium in 1933. He and Helen were
regulars at the Purdue Christmas Show.
And he often invited the Purdue Glee Club to perform at his Hartford
City home for family and friends.
Following his years of legislative service, Wayne served on the Board of
Trustees of Purdue University for 15 years.
He forged an outstanding working relationship with then President of
Purdue University, Steven C. Beering.
When President Beering retired, Wayne served on the search committee
that recommended hiring Martin C. Jischke as President Beering’s
successor.
Wayne also served as a Director of the
Purdue Research Foundation, a Trustee of Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana,
and a member of the Board of Directors at the Marion National Bank. His other memberships include Lifetime Member
of the Purdue Alumni Association, a 35 year member of the John Purdue Club, and
50 year member of the First Friends Church of Marion (where he also served as
trustee).
Wayne was named a Sagamore of the
Wabash by four different Governors, Governor Matt Welsh, Governor Evan Bayh,
Governor Joe Kernan, and Governor Mike Pence.
Wayne was recognized as a Master Farmer by Indiana Prairie Farmer, Distinguished Purdue Ag Alumnus by the College of
Agriculture, and with a Certificate of Distinction by the Purdue Ag Alumni
Association. In 2014, Wayne was honored
with the Order of the Griffin, the highest honor bestowed by Purdue University,
by President Mitch Daniels.
Wayne is survived by Helen, his wife
of 61 years. Wayne also is survived by:
his son Jay (his wife Rebecca and their children Richard, James, Jonathan,
Emerson, and Oliver); his son Mark (his children Katherine (married to Andy
Glover), Hanna, and Ben); his daughter Lisa McHone (her husband Paul and their
children Jenni (married to John Garrett), Ann, Katie, Chris, and Liz); his son
Steve (his wife Beth and their children Sarah and Jacob); and his son Alan (his wife Ruth Ann and their
children Aja, Jay, and Jack). Wayne also
is survived by many loving nieces and nephews.
Wayne was preceded in death by his
parents (Jay and Blanche) and his siblings (Martha, James, George, Vida, and
Mary).
Funeral services will be held at
2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2015 at the First Friends Church of Marion,
2211 North Wabash Avenue, Marion, Indiana, 46952 with Dane Leitch
officiating. Burial will follow at Grant
Memorial Cemetery in Marion, Indiana.
Friends may call at the First Friends
Church of Marion on Friday, July 10, 2015 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. or 6:00
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friends also may call
one hour before the funeral services.
In lieu of flowers, friends are invited
to contribute, in memory of Wayne, to one or more of the following charitable causes: (1) First Friends Church of Marion, 2211
North Wabash Avenue, Marion, Indiana, 46952;
(2) Blackford County Community Foundation, 121 N. High Street, P.O. Box
327, Hartford City, Indiana 47348; and (3) Purdue Foundation (for the Wayne and
Helen Townsend Writing Excellence Fund), Purdue University Development Office,
403 West Wood Street, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907.
Arrangements
are being handled by Waters Funeral Home, Hartford City.
Online condolences may be sent to:
www.watersfuneralhomes.com.
