Leslie "Wayne" Vickers

Leslie "Wayne" Vickers, aged 100, left his earthly body behind and is now gazing at the face of God. As a man of faith who lived a full life, he yearned for this moment and was ready to see the face of God.

Born to Oral and Jean Vickers, Wayne and his only sister, Elaine, were born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His first job was setting bowling pins (BY HAND) as a young teen. Wayne left school at 17 to join the Navy Air Corps during WWII. Wayne served stateside and was ready to ship out when victory was declared in Japan and the war was over. To celebrate, his crew took a daring, and forbidden, ride in a military bomber under the Golden Gate Bridge. Wayne then spent all the money the military gave him to get home celebrating, forcing him to hitchhike home to Michigan in his uniform.

Upon returning to Grand Rapids, Wayne started flirting with the pretty "soda jerk" who worked at the local drug store. Soon, Charmain DeVlieg agreed to become his wife and they had 76 great years together filled with adventure and love.

Wayne's life was full. Wayne started his post-military career in his father's body shop. From there he spent time working for the C&O Railroad, Mirandette Sales, and ultimately retiring from Burke Porter. Along the way, Wayne and Char were blessed with five sons. They moved from Grand Rapids to Forest Hills in 1964 to raise their family.

There were camping trips with the handmade "chuck wagon" Wayne built out of a Model A chassis and bunk bed cots in an Army tent with a dirt floor. Silver Lake Sand Dunes was their favorite spot and, when the state park banned alcohol during the '70's hippie invasion, they began looking for property. During one of his "two-track" excursions, Wayne found a double lot, bought it, and placed an old house trailer on it as a home base for generations of Vickers and DeVlieg Silver Lake get togethers. He built a garage which housed multiple snowmobiles, boats, dune buggies, and Jeeps, the vehicles of many adventures.

Wayne and Charmain enjoyed many good times with friends and family. They traveled "out west" and took a particularly memorable trip to Hawaii. They spent many winters "snow birding" in warmer climates such as Gulf Shores, Florida, South Texas, and Arizona. Always up for an adventure, one of those winters was even spent in an RV park in a borrowed pop up! Pier fishing, deer hunting, smelt dipping, cherry picking, making homemade party costumes, baking bread, an endless procession of Boston Terriers, and many "happy hours" filled the in-between spaces. He golfed until 90 years old and drove until 94.

In addition to traveling, Wayne enjoyed reading, watching sports (especially Lions' Football), attending his grandchildren's activities, and visiting friends and family. He loved going to Silver Lake and "puttering around" fixing things and sitting around the campfire telling stories. Then fixing more things.

He leaves his beautiful wife of 76 years, Charmain DeVlieg Vickers, to mourn him. His five boys include Doug (Linda) Vickers, Jim (Deb) Vickers, Steve (Theresa) Vickers, Mark (Donna) Vickers, and Paul (Melissa) Vickers. Wayne had many grandchildren and great grandchildren, a multitude of nieces and nephews, numerous people who thought of him as a father figure, as well as a treasure chest of friends over the years.

Wayne has requested no formal funeral or gathering, but you can bet he will be remembered and talked about around the fire at Silver Lake for years. Wayne will be interred at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta Michigan at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be sent to Gentiva Hospice @ Gentiva Foundation.