It is with mixed emotions of sadness and joy that we announce Wayne Cosby, age 84, peacefully went to be with his Lord and Savior at 1:11PM on August 24, 2021. Wayne was born in Mineola, TX on December 7, 1936. His parents were Wayne Udolphus Cosby and Hazel Mozell Brooke Cosby. However, they were separated and divorced before he was born, so he never knew his biological father. Morris O’Neal West became his real dad when he married Hazel. Wayne was 2 years old. Shortly thereafter he got a pesky little red-headed brother, Morris Ray West. On January 16, 1958, Wayne married his high school sweetheart, Tommie Lou Shoemaker, also from Mineola, TX. Tommie was the love of his life. They moved to Tyler, TX to start their new married life. In 1959, Wayne and Tommie left East Texas and moved to Kingsville, TX, where Wayne joined Humble Oil & Refining Company at the King Ranch Gas Plant. They were there for 5 years and Debra and David Cosby were born during this time - one redhead and one blond! From there, Wayne moved his family to Shreveport, LA for a job at Moran Tank Company. On the long drive to Shreveport (in a Plymouth Valiant), Wayne asked Tommie, “What are we doing?!” Tommie replied “Wayne, think of this as an adventure!” And so, he did! They settled into life in Shreveport and Danny Cosby was born – another pesky redhead. After that, Wayne moved his family to Monroe, LA for a job at Cities Service Company (the Columbian Division) where he was a Designer, Contract Administrator, Project Engineer and Job Cost Engineer for plants manufacturing carbon black. Then along came Hallmark! They offered him a job in Center, TX at Center Plywood Company, where they made fixtures for Hallmark Card shops. The family moved once again. Wayne loved working with the people of Center Plywood Company (a division of Hallmark Cards), and he stayed there 20 years. At one point, Don Hall, who was President and the son of Hallmark Cards founder, visited his home in Center. Wayne was quickly promoted to Plant Manager. While in Center, Wayne was very involved in the community and moved into leadership roles in many civic organizations (girls softball coach, Chamber of Commerce, School Board, Rotary Club, FCA sponsor, Athletic Club Boosters, etc.) All three of his children attended and graduated from Center High School and then from Texas A&M University. One of the most rewarding experiences in Wayne and Tommie’s life was opening their home for high school students in Center to attend Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) meetings. Wayne took several groups of kids to the FCA national camp in Colorado and watched the dramatic change in young men’s lives as they learned to follow the teachings of Jesus. After retiring from Hallmark in 1992, he and Tommie moved to Arkansas where he was VP and General Manger at Arkansas Woodworkers in Van Buren, AR for a couple of years. They then moved to Hainesville, TX, where he got his Real Estate license and then his broker’s license. He purchased a REMAX franchise in 2002 and did Real Estate for 12 years. In Dad’s words after 48 years of being in the business world and raising his family he said, “We had a lot of adventures – Tommie and I!” Wayne was a loving father, husband, grandfather, and friend to everyone. He loved fishing, golfing, and his family. Now he is reunited with his sweetheart, Tommie, who preceded him in death. Wayne is survived by his daughter/son-in-law, Debra & Scott Heslop; sons/daughters-in-law David & Laurie Cosby and Danny & Kellie Cosby; brother/sister-in-law Morris & Liz West; brother-in-law/sister-in-law Larry & Jerry Shoemaker and John & Candy Shoemaker; and many loving grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and extended family. Those who may wish to honor the principles and values by which Wayne and Tommie Cosby lived their life are encouraged to find a way to help others. Wayne and Tommie received joy from visiting and frequently contributing to the efforts of Cal Farley’s Boys and Girls Ranch in the Texas Panhandle
(https://www.calfarley.org).