Wayne Chester Sheets

Wayne Chester Sheets, 82, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family and friends January 2, 2022.

Wayne was born August 30, 1939 in Patterson, New Jersey to Ruben and Jewel Sheets. Wayne was raised in Elmwood Park, New Jersey where he went to high school and met his wife of 60 years.  He graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and soon after married his long-time sweetheart, Pamela. Wayne and Pamela joyfully celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary together in December.

Although his career began in New Jersey, this was just the beginning of the story for Wayne and his wife, Pamela. They soon moved across country to Colorado where they welcomed their daughter Dawn in 1967.  Changing careers, the family relocated to Fort Worth, Texas.  Seeing an opportunity to work on his passion, aircraft, Wayne relocated a final time to Fort Walton Beach, Florida to work on the flight control systems for the McDonald Douglas F-111 Aardvark.  Soon after, Wayne and Pam welcomed their son Kenneth into the family.

Wayne was an admired, respected, and acknowledged mechanical engineer within the Eglin Air Force Base Test Wing community; an engineer from yester year with invaluable skills and a mind to achieve the nearly impossible in both meeting and exceeding the Air Force testing requirements.  Wayne spent the majority of his career, over 40 years, working as a contractor on Eglin Air Force Base where he maintained full-time employment through his 80th birthday.

He was the resident handy-man; if he could not fix it, there may have not been a fix out there. He was always willing to pass on his automotive repair skills to anyone who was willing to learn.  He spent countless hours volunteering at the Resurrection Catholic Church where he felt the connection with his beloved daughter. He was a faithful and devout Catholic who found peace in his faith.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Pamela Sheets; son, Kenneth Sheets; daughter-in-law, Tammi Sheets; grand-daughters, Jennifer Via (Sheets), Jasmine Kernick, and Kylee Sheets. Wayne is preceded by his daughter, Dawn Sheets; and sister, Arlene Greer. 

Funeral Mass will be held January 11, 2022 at 11:00 am at Resurrection Catholic Church in Miramar Beach, Florida with Father Tom and Father Roy. Reception will follow the mass at the Parish Hall. The Burial will follow the mass and reception at Beal Memorial Cemetery in Fort Walton Beach.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to Resurrection Catholic Church 259 Miramar Beach Drive, Miramar Beach, FL 32550 or Alaqua Animal Refuge 914 Whitfield Rd, Freeport, FL 32439 in his memory.