Wayne W. Ferris

Wayne W. Ferris of Cadillac passed away July 12, 2016 at Samaritas Senior Living in Cadillac. He was 97. Mr. Ferris was born May 17, 1919 in Cadillac to Sylvenus and Alice Mae (Jones) Ferris and they preceded him in death. He graduated from Cadillac high School in 1937 and enlisted in the United States Navy in February 1942. Following tours of duty in Boston and Toledo Wayne was transferred to Washington, D.C. where he was accepted into the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). Upon completing the Foreign Accounting course in Washington he volunteered for duty in the China-Burma-India Theater. Mr. Ferris spent 20 months in Bombay, India with the Naval Liaison Office, enjoying lasting friendships with several of the Indian people of varied social structures and culture. Upon returning to D.C. he was promoted to Chief Yeoman and worked in the Captured Document section of the Navy Department. He often recalled his fascination in reading the transcribed diaries of Hitler's top military and civilian leaders. At the Navy Department in 1945 he met Roberta "RobinÃ¢â‚¬Â Adams, WAVE photographer, also ONI. They were married in Beardstown, Illinois on May 26, 1946, settling in Cadillac. Mr. Ferris returned to active naval services in 1947 and along with Chief Harry Wilson, USNR, assisted in procuring a U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center for Cadillac, at that time the smallest city to have such a facility. He remained Stationkeeper at the Training Center through the Korean War years, returning to civilian life in 1952, after more than nine years of active naval duty. In 1959 he opened his own real estate office and received State and National awards for his newspaper ads. As a community service he helped purchase property for industries, local governments and numerous businesses. Mr. Ferris enjoyed music; making audio tapes for friends and combining recordings into themes for their special day. He also enjoyed photographing nature scenes and writing stories for his grandchildren. He composed more than 500 word puzzles, which were mailed to friends and delivered to some local businesses. Wayne was interested in many sports; participating in several as a youth. He enjoyed bowling and was the first person to bowl a perfect game of 300 at Parkview Lanes in Cadillac. He is survived by his children: Kim (Deborah) Ferris of Naples, Florida, Karen (Barry) Lempe of Cadillac and Ken (Jan) Ferris of Maineville, Ohio; grandchildren: Lauren Lempe of Manton, Campbell Lempe of Austin, Texas, Sarah Ferris of Maineville, Ohio, Amy Ferris of Maineville, Ohio, Amber Guarente of Tokyo, Japan . In addition to his parents and wife he was preceded in death by his brothers: Lloyd (Luella), Russell (Eleanor) and sisters: Ruth Huffman, Ardys Kniffen and Jean Waters. A time to share stories and reminisce with the family of Wayne Ferris will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Thursday, August 4, 2016 at the Fox Hill Event Center (7640 Mackinaw Trail, Cadillac). In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army. Wayne often spoke of the support they provided the military men and women during World War II and Korea and have continued to do so around the world. An online guestbook is available at www.petersonfh.com.

Wayne W. Ferris

May 17, 1919 - July 12, 2016