Wayne Upton Jr.

Upton Jr., Wayne S.
Wayne S. Upton, Jr., husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, son, son-in-law, brother and uncle, passed away unexpectedly, Monday, September 12. Wayne, also affectionately known as the "Bearded Gentleman" and "International Man of Mystery," was born on June 27, 1950 in Norfolk, VA. He spent his early years in Kansas and Colorado, graduating from Littleton High School and Regis College (now University) in Denver. He and his wife, Barbara (Lawler) met at Regis and were married in 1972. As a CPA, he worked in accounting firms in the Denver area until 1984, when he accepted a position with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and moved with his family to Connecticut. After a 17 year distinguished career at the FASB, Wayne became one of the 'Founding Fathers' of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in London, joining the IASB staff in June 2001. He was very much one of the 'unsung heroes' of accounting standard-setting – at different times leading the entire technical staff, Chairing the IFRS Interpretations Committee, the Emerging Economies Group, coordinating the Islamic Finance Consultative Group and countless other initiatives so important to IASB success. Moreover, he played important roles in helping the major Asian economies in their migration to IFRS Standards, and in IASB dealings with the United States. In addition to his wife, Wayne is survived by his children Elizabeth Tynan (Matt) of Bedford, NY, Zebediah (Mary Ann) Upton of Foxboro, MA and daughter-in-law, Prudence Avery Upton of Rockville, MD; his six adored grandchildren, James, Kate and Zöe Upton, Abby, Chase and Kaylie Tynan; his mother, Zellah Upton; sisters Jane (Fred) Upton-Ceconi and Susan (Theodore) Eklund, brother Chris (Joan) Upton; and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Wayne Upton, and son, Zachary Upton. Wayne was a Master Mason, connoisseur of fine wine and single malt whisky; he enjoyed photography, collecting (and smoking) pipes and collecting recordings of all types of music. Funeral services will be held at St. Stephen Church, 6948 Main Street, Trumbull, CT at 10 am, Saturday, September 17. There will be no calling hours. To honor Wayne's passions for music and music education, children with special needs and cancer research, in lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to the Greater Bridgeport Youth Orchestras at gbyo.org; OnlyYouFoundation.org; FindACure.org. To send online condolences please visit
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