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Established 1948   Douglas Wayne Emory most remembered by the name Wayne Emory, a lifelong resident of Sherman, Texas, peacefully passed away on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 surrounded by family. Wayne is survived by the love of his life, wife Patsy Jo Duke Emory; his 3 sons, Mike Emory and wife, Carolyn; Steve Emory and wife, Penny; and Scott Emory and wife, Susie; his son-in-law, John Doherty; his 12 grandchildren, Zack and wife Heather; Steven Shane and wife, Naomi; Amanda and husband, Daniel; Clyde and wife, Ruby; Machel and husband, Chris; Jessica and husband, Blair; Patrick; Laura and husband, Jesse; Alyssa and husband, Cody; Sean; Daniel; and Amy and husband, Jay; his 11 great-grandchildren, Emma, Jayden, Gabriel, Aden, Ollie, Easton, Abigail; Lela, Ryder, Rhett and Wylder; and his sister, Mary Janice Kirk. He is predeceased by his parents, Chieftain Henry Emory and Demie Marie McGuire Emory; his siblings, Johnny Emory; Lois Binns and husband, William; Henniretta Rogers and husband, Buck; and Vernon Emory and wife, Peggy; and his only daughter, Alicia Ann Doherty. Wayne was born March 15, 1935 in Millerton, Oklahomal He attended grade school in Durant, Oklahoma, and then when his family relocated to Sherman, he found his permanent home. Luckier than most, Wayne met his soulmate, Pat, the age of 13 years young, later married on June 20, 1954 in Sherman, Texas, and would love her until the end. They were happily married for over 65 years; and they enjoyed traveling often and visited many places including Alaska, Cozumel, England and Scotland. Wayne was a pilot, owned a small aircraft, and enjoyed flying throughout his life. Wayne was a masonry contractor for 63 years. He started his career building houses and eventually opened his own company, Wayne Emory Masonry, Inc. and soon after was building 32-story high rises in Texas' largest cities. One of his favorite projects was the Sherman Democrat building (currently known as the Herald Democrat in Sherman). He never compromised on the quality of work he provided to his customers. In his own words, "I would rather do a small job well than a large job poorly." He was a stickler, passionate about his beliefs to do right versus wrong, and stayed excited about the future. In addition to his main business, and at his own expense, he opened a masonry school because he did not want the craft of quality masonry to disappear. He was a pioneer at heart and built much of his first masonry equipment, including his first mortar mixer. His career brought him complete joy and he was always happy when working. Family was everything to Wayne. He was a loyal brother, uncle, cousin, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, and friend. He devoted his life to raising a family from the moment his first son was born in 1955. Next came his only daughter, always his baby girl. Then came the troublemaker, on whom he blamed his gray hair. The came the final baby boy, who made their family complete. When his children started families of their own they fit into his life seamlessly and effortlessly, as if they were his own. His 12 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren were his greatest blessings and he would brag endlessly on each of their accomplishments. In his grandhilcren's eyes: "Words can't say enough about the man we loved so much. He wasn't hard to find in a crowd; he would have on his 2-pocket shirt, suspenders, and blue jeans - always. A man among men, a towering presence in any room he entered. It was hard not to remember Wayne Emory, so much so that most of us are known around town as "Wayne's kin." It's not hard to find the words to describe the man known to us simply as "grandpa." Compassionate, forgiving, understanding and patient are NOT them. Familiar, loving, strong, and ornery are. He never wanted anyone to make a fuss or cater to him, but you wouldn't know it from hearing him complain. He could almost always be seen hiding behind his trademark scowl, but those who knew him, those who were lucky enough to hear his deep, genuine laugh could always see the brightness behind his eyes. The love he felt for his family wasn't often spoken, but was betrayed in the absolute attentiveness with which he listened, the warmth of the hug he always had waiting, and the effort he placed into keeping up with with everyone of his extensive family. He was a man of few words, but if he spoke, you listened. Still, a man whose actions truly spoke louder than his words, he placed immense value in an honest day's work well done. A man to whom accuracy and honesty werre its own reward, and every moment was a teaching one. If he was stubborn it was because he believed he knew what was best for you. If he was gruff, it was because he believe you could achieve more. And if he was a little short-tempered, it was because he knew you knew better. Though he sternly believed that parents should make the rules, when our parents said "no" he would sneek us beef jerky and peppermint patties from his secret stash in the vault when we would visit him at work. He taught us to play Solitaire and freecall and would count our ribs to make sure they were all still there. And he would never let us forget to give him a hug. He is the one responsible for our strength and determination to never give up, and the one to blame for our fierce mindsets and our stubborn belief in right and wrong. The glue that kept our family together through thick and thin, and through richer and poorer, he held our hands when we were hurting, lifted us up when we were falling, and held us tight when we wanted to run. A great man, he always saw the bigger picture. Wise and intelligent beyond his humble provenance, he set the bar high on what it means to succeed. A role model and a leader to all of us, we admired him greatly. We are grateful and blessed to spend the rest of our lives in the family that he built as he did everything, with a bit of care, a lot of hard work, and his own 2 hands. The graveside funeral was held Saturday afternoon, February 29, 2020 at Cedarlawn Memorial Park in Sherman, Texas. The service was officiated by Gary Emory. Following the service, the family invites you to a celebration of Wayne's life at the Waldo Family Center, next to Waldo Funeral Home. Pallbearers were Zack Landon Emory, Steven Shane Emory, Clyde Robert Doherty, Patrick Wayne Emory, Daniel Worthington Emory, Daniel Mark Knox, Michael Ciaccio, and William Schmitz. Honorary pallbearerwas Bill Bennett. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to M.D. Anderson Cander Center Houston or The Salvation Army or a charity of your choice.  Cedarlawn Cemetery Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |