Wayne Gilley

I was fortunate to get to go out to Florida last October to see Terry, Mickey and Wendy and all the other family members. I just feel so bad I didn't make it there before you passed. My heart is with you and your family always.
Love Cara

When I was a kid, 13 or 14 years old, uncle Wayne would let me scrub them traps for extra cash, and took me on my first ride on a stone crab boat,
the Breadwinner. when the season opened and after baiting and loading traps we were fully loaded down and going farthest out I had ever been and Unknown to me that I was going into the nastiest storm that I had ever been in on a boat. On our way out I wanted to see everything that he did, so I placed and sat on a cooler on the bunk inside the cabin. As storm came up on us the boat rolled and quartered waves I was holding on for dear life, but Uncle Wayne sat in his captains chair calm and collected, fully focused on me, the guys on the back, and what was right in front of him. I tried hiding the fact that I was kind of worried that the boat was going over because periodically a wave would go over the side, but I'm certain he seen it on my face. He told with a sense of urgency to the guys working the traps to get them off. As the guys were working I was eager to help, but way too young and I would have only got in the way. I just watched these guys work like a well oiled machine throwing buoy, rope, latching and dropping traps one after the other. I asked him if they would be okay, he told me in a calm deep voice those guys would be just fine and that I just needed to just stay in the cabin with him. A few minutes after the conversation that we had, the boat took one from the side and me and the cooler took a ride down to the floor and out of the cabin. He yelled back to the guys and I was grabbed and put back in the cabin almost immediately by one of them. I looked at uncle Wayne as he looked at me with a face of slightly stressed. I said that I didn't know where to be, he told me with a stern and concentrated voice to just get somewhere and stay there, so I hid in the corner on top of the bunk. with every wave after that I could feel my body wanting to slide back down that same path as the boat rolled on its starboard side, when it rolled port I could look through the side window straight down at the water. I was hanging on once again for dear life scared to death of going back across the floor and out of the cabin. I just knew if it happened again that I was going to be yelled at, uncle Wayne seemed the type of man that you didn't want to have mad at you. After getting all the traps off and making our way back in a few miles, the storm had died down to just rain and a mere chop, uncle Wayne could finally relax after hours of battling wind, waves, and a extremely heavy boat. He looked at me and laughed, probably because I wore my face of being scared to death the majority of the way back. Wayne is a great man, though scared at the time I'm truly blessed to have been able to take that ride with him that day and it will forever be in my mind. Thank you sir and rest peacefully.

Rip Wayne you are dearly going to be missed

Tracy, I am so sorry to read this, my high flyin' friend. Now you have a high flyin' angel to watch over you and the rest of your family always and forever. Sending hugs for your heart.

Years ago. When George Strait was first becoming popular. Terry, Trudy myself and a girl named Lisa were all going to try and go to a concert. Well Trudy got to go to one first. Well then Terry got to go to one. Her concert George was signing autographs on his bus. Terry asked Wayne if he would stand in line for a picture for me. He gladly did. It's a silly story. But Thank you Wayne. I still have that picture and it has always meant the world to me. Thank you for always watching out for me when you and Mickey lived here in Colorado. RIP. Love Cara

My condolences to Wayne's family. Mickey and Wayne were neighbors to my parents before their passing. He was always there for them and helped out when he could and for that I am forever grateful. Rest in peace Sir!

Uncle Wayne you were such a loving uncle and will be missed everyday . I love you