Wayne William Rognlin

1929 - 2026

The Legendary Wayne William Rognlin
Wayne William Rognlin, of Tubac, Arizona and Aberdeen, Washington, laid down his tools on February 12, 2026, exactly eight years to the hour after the love of his life, Marlene, went ahead of him. He was 97. If you knew Wayne, you understand- even in his passing, timing mattered. Commitment mattered. Keeping your word mattered.
Wayne was born on February 3, 1929 in Appleton, Minnesota, the middle of three brothers. He was raised in Bemidji, the son of a grain farmer whose life was upended by the Great Depression. When the farm was lost, his parents were forced to do what Wayne himself would later do so many times: adapt, take a risk, and start again.
The family opened the Becida Tavern, a bold reinvention in hard times. As teenagers, Wayne and his brothers bartended, worked long days cutting timber, and learned to hunt for food and sport. He learned early to value good conversation, hard work, and what he would call intestinal fortitude. Those years taught him two permanent truths: nothing is guaranteed, and if you want something built, you build it yourself.
After graduating from Bemidji High School in 1947, Wayne attended Northern Business College, where he studied bookkeeping, accounting, and typing- practical skills that would later anchor the business he built. Even then, he was preparing for ownership.
Wayne's improbable 75 year story in the Pacific Northwest began when his family pulled up roots and moved west in 1950. Settling first in Anchorage, Alaska, they soon moved to Everett, Washington when his younger brother Raymond (Curly) fell ill.
Drafted into the Army in 1951, Wayne was stationed in Alaska for two years. He served on a special regimental combat team, becoming an expert marksman while training on skis and snowshoes in brutal winter conditions. The cold was relentless and expectations were high, but it only made him stronger. Those who knew him later would recognize this quiet mental toughness that never bent under pressure.
Honorably discharged in 1953, he returned to Everett to be with his family and work construction with his good friend Lynn Heggie. It was during this time that Curly lost his battle with Hodgkin's Disease. The devastating loss only strengthened Wayne's conviction that nothing is guaranteed, that life and opportunity are not giventhey're built.
Later that year, everything changed when Lynn's younger sister came out from Minnesota to visit her brother. It was meant to be a short visit, but she and Wayne fell head over heels in love. So she didn't return to Minnesotainstead, she sent for her clothes.
Her name was Marlene Heggie.
Wayne and Marlene were married on May 29, 1954 and moved to Hoquiam, WA to begin building their life and legacy on the Harbor. They would eventually settle in Central Park to raise their four children, Terry, Randy, Scott, and Patricia.
Wayne worked as a carpenter by day and bartended at night. In 1954, he purchased the Friendly Tavern in Hoquiam, a gathering place for loggers and working men whose stories he treasured. He respected and enjoyed the camaraderie of hardworking people because he was one of them.
Then in 1958, Wayne and his brother Emery established Rognlin Brothers, Inc. as a small residential homebuilder in Aberdeen. They rapidly expanded into commercial construction and development, building some of Grays Harbor's first beach hotels and restaurants in the 1960s.
But they didn't just build buildings, they built reputations. Rognlin's became known for quality, integrity, and commitment to local labor and products. People knew that Wayne's handshake was his bond. Following Emery's death in 1973, Wayne and his sons, Randy and Scott, would continue to grow the company- now known as Rognlin's, Inc.- into one of Western Washington's premier commercial and industrial contractors.
Always seeking opportunity, Wayne joined several other local business owners to found the Bank of Grays Harbor in 1978, once again investing in the future of his community. He served on the Board of Directors for over 20 years, helping to guide its steady growth into a thriving, 15-branch regional bank now known as The Bank of the Pacific. When he retired from the Board, he proudly watched his son Randy assume the role and maintain the same steady hand of leadership and growth.
While Wayne also retired from actively running the family business in the 1990s, he always stayed connected, often spending mornings at the office and visiting jobsites with Randy, Scott or grandson Nick. He remained enormously proud of the firm's enduring reputation for integrity as both a contractor and an employer. More than any of the countless projects Rognlin's has completed over its long history, that's the true legacy Wayne leaves behind, and the commitment his family will always pursue in his honor.
In retirement, Wayne and Marlene traveled and spent their winters with friends in Hawaii and Arizona. After discovering the charming little hamlet of Tubac, Arizona, they bought a home there in 1995. They loved the area's vibrant social life centered around friends, food, and golf, while continuing to enjoy summers in Aberdeen among family and lifelong friends.
They shared 63 years of marriage before Marlene passed away on February 12, 2018. Wayne continued to travel between his two homes and enjoyed a full active life, golfing with friends, fishing in Canada, and watching his beloved Mariners. He was also preceded in death by his daughter Terry in 1978, son Scott in 2020, and granddaughter Kristi in 1980.
He is survived by his son & daughter-in-law, Randy & Michele Rognlin of Aberdeen, and his daughter Patricia Rognlin of Seattle; his grandchildren Nick Rognlin, Katie (Andy) Snodgrass, Tyler Rognlin, Zack Rognlin, Briana Rognlin (Josh Haftel), Connor Rognlin, Matt Johnson, Jeff Johnson; and his great-grandchildren Bentley Warne, Jaxon & Layne Rognlin; Savannah, Mary Kate & Duke Snodgrass; Presley Rognlin; and Malcolm, Oscar, and Rufus Rognlin Haftel; and his devoted niece Kelly Rademacher.
Eight years after Marlene went ahead of him, Wayne kept his promise. One can only imagine the reunion - her waiting, steady as ever. The one who bet her whole life on him when all he could offer was potential. The farm boy whose family lost everything in the Depression and he built it back a hundredfold. The soldier. The builder. The businessman. The banker. The patriarch.
She came for a visit. She sent for her clothes. And now, at last, they are together again.
Wayne Rognlin didn't simply live a life.
He built one. And then built opportunity for everyone around him.
Wayne has taken his final rest, but the foundations he poured - in concrete, in character, and in family - will stand for generations.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 3:00pm on April 4, 2026, at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. His family and friends are invited to gather and share memories of Wayne's life and the impact he had on so many. In a private family service, Wayne and Marlene will be interred together at Fern Hill Cemetery in Aberdeen, alongside Terry and Scott.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the YMCA of Grays Harbor.