Lee “Wayne” Feyhl

by Kennadine Feyhl
Thursday, July 12, 2007 12:55 PM MDT

My husband, Lee “Wayne” Feyhl, age 75, passed away peacefully April 15, 2007, after a long acquaintance with “Cancer and his family and friends.”

Wayne was, by most standards, just an ordinary man. He never made much money, was neither famous nor notorious, but he felt he had been richly blessed.

In 1990, Wayne met one of Cancer’s family, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Spring of 1996 brought a rude introduction to kidney cancer, with accompanying surgeries and complications. He made it through all that, so Cancer sent in the big guns for a visit. This time it was those nasty cousins, Esophageal and throat cancer, both stage 4, plus lymphoma in a lung.

Treatment brought Cancer’s adversaries -- eight weeks of daily chemo and radiation. Side effects included loss of speech for a while, and permanent loss of ability to swallow .He never again ate or drank anything by mouth.

Wayne and I raised a large family together. Family was his top priority, and working two jobs for many years enabled me to be with the kids. He never spent money on “guy toys” like boats or gulf clubs. We did eventually acquire an old motor home to take family to the mountains. Even with two jobs, he found ways to spend time with the kids.

Wayne’s quiet, gentle humor helped us all through the rough spots. He told Dr. Paul Johnson, “None of us are getting out of here alive, even you Doc!” Sadly, he outlived Dr. Johnson a few months.

Even on rare vacations, Wayne took his tools along, knowing he could never pass by a car broke down on the road. His favorite thing to do always involved helping someone.

Our children knew dad as the man who could fix anything and do anything. He could always be counted on. Discipline in our house was mostly my department, because

Wayne could never stay angry long enough to follow through.

The last year of Wayne’s life was spent in the care of the angels at Hospice Home. He was there longer than expected and worried someone needed his room worse than he did. The only trouble he caused was when he wouldn’t ask for help. He didn’t want to bother anyone.

As a man of great faith and integrity, Wayne set a great example. He touched many lives with his kindness. Wayne faced this phase of his life by mirroring all that preceded, and greeted nurses and visitors with a smile and never a complaint.

My sweetheart always thought he was short (about 5’7”) but we knew he was really 10 feet tall!

Kennadine Feyhl

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