Wayne Russell Wilcox, 94, of Tama and the Haven community, passed away Friday, September 13, 2019 at Brooklyn Community Estate in Brooklyn, Iowa. Funeral Services will be held Monday, September 16, 2019 at 1:00 PM at Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home in Tama with Pastor Charles Johnson officiating. Interment will follow at the Haven Cemetery in rural Tama. Visitation will be held Sunday, September 15, 2019 from 4-7 PM at Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home.

Wayne was born on October 16, 1924, in Haven, Iowa, the son of Fay E. and Beulah (Rich) Wilcox and lived ninety-three of his ninety-five years on the same hilltop.

He attended Richland #5 country school, but never stopped learning or teaching.

On October 20, 1945, he was united in marriage to Arlene Smith at the Haven Community Church. Wayne farmed, raised livestock and owned and operated Wilcox Repair and Equipment since he was fifteen years old. Wayne was a member of the Haven Community Church where he collected the offering since he was ten years old. He was a board member of TIP Rural Electric Cooperative from 1967 to 2015 and was present for the first switch to be turned on. He was also on the Central Iowa Power Coop Board, and a long time member on the Board of Directors of the Chelsea Savings Bank. Wayne was a founding member of the Poweshiek Water Association and remained on the PWA Board of Directors since 1977. Wayne enjoyed square dancing, golf, fishing, and anything that had a steering wheel. He was known for the ability to wiggle his ears and make people, especially children laugh.

Survivors include his wife of seventy-three years, Arlene of Tama; three children, Al (Nancy) Wilcox of Valrico, FL, Craig (Karen) Wilcox of Brooklyn, and Mary Kay (Rick) Borts of Altoona; seven grandchildren, Scott (Tami) Wilcox, Melissa (Corbin) Winter, Erin (Jess) Billmeyer, Lisa (Andrew Blikken) Wilcox, Adam Borts, Candice (Wayne) Fedeler, and Brandon (Allison) Borts; and fifteen great-grandchildren.

Preceding him in death were his parents; a stepmother, Lucille Parks; and one brother, Keith Wilcox.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Haven Community Church.