Wayne J. Williamson

1954 - 2017

Wayne John Williamson, 63, CDR, Navy (retired), of Atlantic, Pa., originally from Glenshaw, passed away tragically in a house fire Monday, Dec. 18, 2017. He was born May 17, 1954, in Pittsburgh, to the late Wayne J. and Jeannette (Orzel) Williamson. He is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Patricia (Hoffman); and his loving four sisters, Patsy Williamson, of Pacific Palisades, Calif., Marylou (Perry New) Williamson, of Allison Park, Judith Brumfield-Ott, of Glenshaw, and Hilary (Lee) Meister, of Allison Park. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews, cousins and in-laws. Wayne was preceded in death by his beloved sister, (infant) Jacqueline Williamson and Vivian (Francis) Williamson-Bryan, of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. He leaves behind his canine companion, Merlin, rabbits and several cats. Wayne was a loving husband, caring brother, loyal and generous friend and cherished his time with all. Wayne was a career Navy officer. During this period, Wayne served on both a submarine (USS Richard B Russell S5N687) and surface ship (USS California CGN36). He managed a fuel farm on Guam in the early 1990's. Some assignments included Hawaii, Rhode Island, Bremerton, Wash., and Florida. Most recently, he was working as a contracting officer at Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), in Philadelphia, in subsistence suppliers operation/troop support. Wayne was dedicated to his work and patriotism, doing whatever was necessary to support the troops. During his work at DLA, Wayne had an 18-month assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan. Wayne loved traveling and seeing the world. He took a break from academia to pursue this passion. His adventures started with work as a crewman on board the Brigantine Romance, departing in June, 1978, from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, through the South Pacific to Hawaii, where he established residency for a year before returning to the mainland to continue his academic life. Wayne had a never-ending quest for knowledge. Wayne was a 1972 graduate of Shaler Area High School. He graduated from CCAC and the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford. He attended the University of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon University. He also graduated from Duquesne University and earned master's degrees from the University of Kansas and the Naval War College in Rhode Island. Upon retirement, Wayne and Patty returned to Pennsylvania and continued their travels. He enjoyed target shooting, old comic books, artwork, Corvettes, motorcycles, playing his guitar, swimming and watching old movies. Wayne was a member of the NRA and several shooting clubs. Wayne's dry sense of humor and quick wit was unparalleled, something he relished and used at every given opportunity. He will be dearly loved and truly missed.
A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday, May 18, 2018, in WARCHOL FUNERAL HOME INC., 3060 Washington Pike, Bridgeville. Friends may call the funeral home from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service. Committal prayers and military honors will precede the service in National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville. Following the service, all are invited to a buffet luncheon at Peters Place, Bridgeville.
Memorial contributions may be made to Strayhaven Animal Shelter, 94 Donation Road, Greenville, PA 16125. Visitors may sign the online guestbook and view a video tribute at www.loutzenhiserfuneralhome.com. (earlier memorial service was held at this location).