Wayne George Gretencord

Wayne George Gretencord of Ashburn, Virginia passed away on June 22, 2022 at the age of 84.
Wayne was born on August 23, 1937 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, to Arthur Leo Gretencord and Margaret Adams Gretencord Engel. His early life was spent in Boswell, Indiana, also known as the "Hub of the Universe" if you asked him. He went on to graduate from Boswell High School. His graduating class of 1955 had 16 members. He kept in touch with his classmates over the years of his life, sharing fond memories of mischief made.
Wayne enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1956 and began a 25-year career as a proud "Coastie." His early stations included serving on an icebreaker in Lake Superior. While in Marquette, Michigan, he met the love of his life, Barbara Bone. They married in 1960 and went on to have 62 years of happiness, including raising their three children, Lauri, Tim, and Julie. Wayne's Coast Guard duties took the family to several places around the country, including Baltimore MD, Portsmouth VA, Washington, DC, and St. Louis, MO. Wayne's final assignment brought the family back to Washington DC, where he retired as a Chief Warrant Officer (CWO-4).
The second phase of Wayne's career took him to Alexandria, Virginia, where he worked for The Retired Officers Association (TROA) as a human resources officer and deputy comptroller. He kept in touch with friends made at TROA over many years.
A dedicated Catholic, Wayne was active in the Knights of Columbus in which he served his local council as Grand Knight. He also served as District Deputy and Fourth Degree Captain of the Virginia Knights of Columbus for many years. He was twice named Knight of the Year for Virginia.
Wayne was always on the go and very active. He never met a stranger and loved to tell jokes and stories, especially to his grandchildren. He started a multi-decade tradition of leading the family to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for vacation each summer. He maintained a variety of hobbies, including beekeeping, woodworking, fishing, hunting, and gardening. Most of all, he cherished time spent with his family.
After retirement, Wayne and Barbara moved to Lake Anna in Mineral, Virginia, where they spent the next 20 years traveling, volunteering and enjoying sunsets from their deck. Time is something Wayne always had and yet he was always busy. That is because he made time for others. He created that space – in his heart and in his home. He was always happy to tell a story, to teach a lesson, to lend a hand, or to lend an ear. He spent a lifetime of giving, to his to God, to family and in service to others.
Wayne is survived by his wife Barbara and their children Lauri Wilson (Bill), Tim Gretencord (Teresa), and Julie Arnold (Rick). He is survived by grandchildren Adam, Jessica, Kelly, Jordyn, Chris, Kaitlyn, Austin Wayne, and proceeded in death by granddaughter Elizabeth. Wayne was the proud great-grandfather of Joseph, John Henry, Charles, Thomas, Clara, Rose, Lucy, and Violet. Also surviving him are his siblings Donna Meek, Max Gretencord (Vern), David Gretencord (Nikki). He was proceeded in death by a sister Ann Gretencord. He has many nieces and nephews who knew him lovingly as "Uncle Pickles".
A visitation will be held for Wayne from 6-8 pm on Thursday, June 30, 2022 at Mountcastle Turch Funeral Home, located at 4143 Dale Blvd, Dale City, VA 22193. A funeral Mass will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 12975 Purcell Rd, Manassas, VA 20112, on Friday July 1 at ­­­­­10 am with burial to immediately follow at Quantico National Cemetery.
Donations may be mailed to Sacred Heart Catholic School, 607 N. Washington Ave, Fowler IN 47944 or by calling (765) 884-0710.