Dec. 17, 1941-Aug. 30, 2015

Former Homer mayor Wayne Leroy Kessler, 73, died on Aug. 30, 2015, after a valiant battle with Huntington’s disease. 

“He has graduated to eternity,” his family said. “His devotion to his family and his firm belief in God supported him in his struggle and ultimately gave him peace.”

Wayne was born Dec. 17, 1941, to the late Howard and Leona Kessler, a pipe fitter and a homemaker respectively, in Hammond, Ind. He was immersed in the Christian community that would be his lifelong support from an early age. Wayne graduated from Hammond High in 1959, and soon thereafter enrolled in Great Lakes Bible College in Lansing, Mich. He later transferred to Lincoln Christian College, and then to Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Mo.  He graduated from Central Christian College of the Bible in May 1971 with a bachelor of science degree in biblical studies and received a call to become minister of the Northland Christian Church, Kansas City, Mo. Wayne then went on to serve several other churches and ministries in the United States and Homer.

Wayne was mayor of Homer in 1984-1985 and served on the school board for several years. He also was the pastor of Homer Christian Church and Heritage Bible Fellowship.

Wayne was blessed with a large and loving family. He married his best friend and fellow student, Joan Emile Roberts, on Sept. 29, 1962, in Wyandotte, Mich. Wayne raised his five children with patience, discipline and humility. “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).  From the very beginning, he dedicated his children to God and encouraged them to explore the beauty of the Gospels, leading his children to become servants of God as he was.

“Wayne was a servant at heart. He was kind and soft-spoken, and always had time to answer a question or solve a problem, no matter how small. He was a man of unconquerable faith, immersed in prayer. If God said it, Wayne spoke it. If Christ lived it, he tried to emulate it. His purpose, his thoughts and his endeavors were controlled by his burning desire to serve God and glorify Him. He is dearly missed by his loved ones, who celebrate the fact that he is at peace with his creator,” his family said. 

Wayne is survived by his wife, Joan; his children, Cheryl, Mark, Tim, Joel and Debbie, and their spouses Kelli, T’Ann and Randy Hutchison; his grandchildren, Seth, Jacob, Jessica, Zackary, Joyelle, Stacey and Chance Hutchison; and his brothers, Mason and Dean, and sister Doris.

He was preceded in death by his brothers, Galen and Dale, and his parents.

At Wayne’s request, his body will be donated to BioGift Anatomical for the advancement of science. A celebration of life service will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 5, 2015, at North Point EV Free Church, 988 West Ontario, Corona, Calif. In lieu of flowers, should friends desire, contributions may be sent to Huntington’s Disease Society of America.

Information about fire, police and troopers is taken from public records consisting of logbooks and press releases.