R. Wayne Legge

1930 - 2020

Robert Wayne Legge, 90, of West Bridgewater and Easton, passed away December 3, 2020, at Hermitage Roanoke in Roanoke, Va., from complications due to COVID-19. Wayne was preceded in death by his wife of almost 60 years, Marilyn (Thorburn) of Brockton; his parents, William W. Legge and Dorothy Grace (Fielder) Legge ; his siblings, Maxine Pires, John Legge, Paul Legge and Faye (Kauth) Hoats. He leaves behind a daughter, Elizabeth Hathaway (Mark) of Hardy, Va.; a son, Geoffrey Legge (Sharon) of Canton; a granddaughter, Taylor (Hathaway) Perdue (Malcolm) also of Hardy, Va. Born June 9, 1930, Wayne was a 1948 graduate of Oliver Ames High School and a graduate of UMass-Lowell with a B.S. degree in textile chemistry in 1954. He joined the U.S. Army in 1954 and served in Korea with the 17th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division north of the 38th parallel as a news correspondent. After the service he went to work as a chemist and technical director at Draper Bros. (later known as Tamfelt) in Canton, a company that specialized in the manufacture of papermaker felts. He retired in 1995 after 39 years with the company. Wayne was always busy and worked hard at all he accomplished which also included several U.S. Patents earned during his time at Drapers. He was always fixing things and "inventing" to make things work better or easier. If you knew Wayne, you knew he always had a pad of paper and a pen in his shirt pocket. He took notes on everything right up to the end. His thirst to learn never waned. He loved telling stories (mostly about his ancestral relatives), archaeology, history, genealogy, traveling, taking pictures, trains, and most of all he loved spending time with Taylor, his only grandchild. She called him "Bumpa". Some people will remember his home-made peanut brittle; specially packaged by Marilyn every Christmas. Wayne was a dedicated and very active member, including church historian, of Central United Methodist Church in Brockton where he and Marilyn were married in 1957. A graveside service and interment for both him and Marilyn will be held on Saturday, July 17, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. at Pine Hill Cemetery, 483 N. Main St., in West Bridgewater. Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Moneta, is assisting the family. To send condolences online, please visit tharpfuneralhome.com.