Wayne LeRoy Startin's Obituary
Wayne LeRoy Startin, aka "Lee" to those who knew him best, passed away on March 30, 2019, at the age of 81. He was the son of Spencer Startin and Melba Haun and his siblings were Pete, Clella, Ron x 2, and Kaye. He is survived by his 8 children, Bryant (Lori), Judy (Chuck) Raysbrooke, Nancy Cooley, Jill Lazar, Jad (Claudia), Cody (Aubry), Josh, Kenzie Price, and too many grand/great-grandchildren to name (24 and 6 respectively for those dying to know). Wayne was born in Murray, Utah on July 17, 1937, and later moved to LaCanada, California and then back to Murray the summer before his sophomore year of High School. Wayne was a star athlete and enjoyed many sports but his true love was football. He married his high school sweetheart, Janice Mildred Nelson on March 30, 1955, and then attended BYU on a full ride football scholarship. In Wayne’s senior year of college, he was the starting quarterback and captain of the football team. While living in Utah, he was a high school math teacher and coached football, basketball, and baseball at Granite, Olympus, and Skyline High Schools. Wayne and Janice had 4 children and later divorced. He then married "Mique" and helped raise her 4 kids from a previous marriage but they ended up divorcing after 9 years because, from all accounts, she was quite crazy and would often get into fistfights with other women and have to be escorted away by the police during football games Wayne was coaching (you can't make this stuff up). Wayne then met Susan Kesler in 1977. They later married and moved to Rexburg, and raised 4 children. Wayne taught math and coached football at Ricks College for 36 years. He was a great teacher and coach and it was his passion and calling in life. He loved making his students laugh and used humor as a way to make others feel at ease. Wayne was also a great cook and was known for his potato salad, fried chicken sandwiches, and homemade french fries. Wayne also loved to visit his older kids and grandkids whenever he had the chance and would often bring his younger kids which allowed them to create meaningful relationships with their older siblings and their kids. Lee was generous with his time and money and helped out countless people over the years whenever they ran into financial difficulties. He had a big heart and was also bluntly honest with people. After Wayne and Susan divorced, he moved to Utah to be closer to his kids and grandkids. He lived the final years of his life enjoying his favorite things; spending time with close friends and family, going out to eat, watching football, and the Hallmark Channel (he was a sucker for sappy love stories and loved watching them while eating Whoppers and Hot Tamales that he was always willing to share with those that would endure the movie with him.) Wayne, Lee, Dad, Grandpa, you are loved and will be missed by many.
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