Wayne Veatch

1942 - 2016

Wayne Otis Veatch Jr.

July 17, 1942 - August 7, 2016

Wayne Otis Veatch Jr. died August 7, 2016, ten years after a diagnosis of metastatic colon cancer. Upon the news of a massive recurrence in January, 2016, Wayne methodically and compassionately prepared for death, intending to depart this life on his own terms at a time he deemed right, by availing himself of the new California End of Life Options Act. Sadly he was disappointed in that effort by technicalities of implementation. Consequently, he faded away slowly over more than three weeks at his home in Bernal Heights with the support of Sutter Hospice, UCSF Bridges Program, a dear friend and hospice nurse, both sons, William of New Orleans and Christopher (CJ) of San Francisco and his loving wife of 46 years, Janet, at his side.

Wayne was born in Los Angeles to Wayne Otis Veatch Sr. and Miriam Browder Veatch. He attended Wilton Place Elementary, John Burroughs Junior High School and LA High, graduating in 1961. He spent two years at Occidental College as a physics major before transferring to USC where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1966. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Wayne worked as an engineer from 1966-1973 for IBM in Santa Clara, Boeing in Seattle and Honeywell in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia.

Upon moving to Seattle in 1967, Wayne met Janet Jordan, a pediatric nurse working at University Hospital. They made many friends as a couple while water skiing on Lake Washington, snow skiing in the Cascades and traveling the Olympic Peninsula together. When Janet moved to Sydney, Australia, after completing her master's degree in nursing at UW, Wayne decided to follow her down under. They married in Sydney on Janet's birthday in 1970. They lived for nearly two years in Sydney and one and a half years in Melbourne where they made many life-long friends before moving to San Francisco for Wayne to attend law school at Hastings College of the Law, graduating and passing the CA state bar in 1976.

Wayne practiced law in San Francisco and the Bay Area from 1976 until his diagnosis in 2006. He worked for the law firms of Limbach, Limbach and Sutton, as well as Long and Leavitt. He then moved to a house council role for a number of computer hardware and software companies including Televideo, Convergent Technologies, ASK, Macromedia and Broadvision. He finished his law career in private practice until his diagnosis in 2006.

Wayne and Janet raised two very fine sons, Will, a hydrologist with the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans and CJ, a mechanical engineer at the San Francisco Academy of Science. Wayne was exceedingly proud of his sons and their selection of engineering as professions.

Wayne was a doer of many things. He was a classic car aficionado owning a 1967 British Racing Green MGB and a recently purchased 1963 Studebaker Avanti. He was a member of several car clubs that made sure he was on the road or at a tech session several times a month. He and Janet especially enjoyed their over night trips with the Sorry Safari Touring Society, day trips with the MG Owner's Club, Drive Your Studebaker Day and the San Francisco Veterans' Day Parade with the Studebaker Drivers Club, outings with the CHVA car club and wonderful meanders through the wine country with the Wine Country Car Club.

Wayne and Janet were world travelers enjoying many epic trips including a car drive across the unpaved road of the Nullarbor Plains of Australia, two weeks on the Trans Siberian Railway in the early 70's and the Royal Rajasthan on Wheels in Northern India in 2014, driving a van through South Africa just before the end of apartheid, various travels in Europe to France, Italy, Germany and Switzerland skiing in Zermatt under the Matterhorn, visits to Costa Rica, trips to India, Singapore and China and regular vacations to their time share in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Wayne was also a board member and office holder in the Sons In Retirement Branch 4, the Golden Gate Breakfast Club, the Biofuels Co-Op, and a staunch member of the SF Bicycle Coalition. He had recently become a member of the SF Bee Keepers Association producing first class honey in his back yard with the guidance of a good friend and the SF Homebrewers Guild producing some very tasty, highly sought after ales with son, CJ.

One of Wayne's most enduring passions was his association with the Boy Scouts of America. He was an Eagle Scout from Troop 121 in LA. He served as a Cub Master for SF Pack 88 and a Troop Master for Troop 88 while his sons progressed through scouting. Both sons also became Eagle Scouts with the encouragement and support of their dad. But, Wayne's most recent scouting commitment was to the White Stag Association, the sponsoring organization for White Stag Sierra, a youth program dedicated to the development of leadership qualities in young boys and girls through teaching 11 basic competencies for life and leadership. He helped revive the White Stag Sierra Program through which CJ had progressed and learned many life lessons. Wayne served as Quarter Master at summer camps and eventually became president of the White Stag Association. He was recently humbled by being presented with the Silver Stag Award, the highest honor bestowed by the organization.

Wayne is predeceased by his parents and his nephew, James C. Galloway III. He is survived by his wife, Janet, his sons, Will and CJ, his sister, Anne Veatch Galloway of Glendale and his nieces, Christina Bailey (Scott) of Pacifica and Laura Galloway (Mario Esquivel) of Monrovia and 5 grand nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held for family and friends Sunday, August 14, 1-4 pm at the SSF Elks Club, 920 Stonegate Dr, SSF, CA 94080. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Wayne's memory to The White Stag Association, 712 Bancroft Road #225 Walnut Creek CA 94598 (or online at whitestagassociation.org).