Obituary of Dewane Smiley

Dewane Earl Smiley was born in Kansas, June 7, 1926, the first child of Floyd and Juanita (Woodruff) Smiley. His birth was quite difficult and complications resulted in permanent brain damage, and he spent his life as a child in spirit. The family moved to a farm near Limon, Colorado in 1941. Because of this his siblings, nieces and nephews always enjoyed a ready playmate. When one set of children grew up, there was another ready to enjoy Wayne’s company. Wayne had a talent and passion for gardening, and he grew the best cucumbers around the likes that no one had ever seen before. He was one of the original “green gardeners”, using the household garbage as compost. He also took great pride in caring for Mom’s lawn. Wayne loved horses. He and his horse, Blackie, spent many hours riding the ranch. It was never all play on the farm, and his job was to milk the cows. In 1982 he moved to Dynamic Dimensions in Burlington, Colorado. Here, he and his many friends enjoyed school, bowling, fishing and parties. The residents there had much in common with Wayne; he felt comfortable and at home. He had friends and even several girl friends. His dream career was to become a veterinarian. While this dream was not realized, he was involved in very productive work activities. These included cleaning the courthouse and mowing lawns. He saved his money and purchased a roto-tiller. In August of 2009 he moved to Carla’s Cluster Care Center in Limon, Colorado until his health dictated that he be moved to the Lincoln Community Nursing Home in Hugo, Colorado, where he resided until his death on March 17, 2011. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Juanita; brothers, Max, Lloyd and Robert; sister Ella Mae; a nephew, Thomas O’Reilly; and niece, Jeanie Koehn Stamm. He is survived by his sister Joyce (Jim) Koehn; his brother, Larry Smiley; and many nieces and nephews.