Wayne Parham

Wayne lived the early years of his life in Buffalo, New York. He was very proud of his roots in Buffalo and the memories he created there. He attended PS 75 Grammar School, Clinton Junior High School, and East HIgh School where he graduated in 1968.

He enjoyed going to the movies, bowling, and hanging out with friends; but he was mostly known for being an excellent pool player. He could be heard often "talking smack" to his opponent, confident that he would win.

Wayne was outgoing and enjoyed being around people. Growing up, his brother Doug was usually charged with the task of finding him and making him come home. Wayne had many jobs throughout his school years, including painting houses with his grandfather, working at the local donut ship, and working at the Steel Mill, a job that his uncle General helped him get. It was his experience that inspired him to go to college. He attended Tuskegee University in Alabama from 1968-1973 and graduated with a degree in Business.

His proudest moments and most colorful stories often came from this time. Working as a booking agent for the legendary Commodores, which included lifelong friendships with Milan Williams, Thomas McClary, Lionel Richie, and Ronald LaPread. Wayne loved his time at Tuskegee and was a proud and active alumnus, often going back for Homecoming and supporting the local Tuskegee Alumni Association in Phoenix. He was excited to give his blessing of marriage to his daughter Felicia to Robert Vann Jr. because he too was an alumnus of Tuskegee. In his words, he was a good man because he was a "Tuskegee Man".

Wayne was always ambitious, working hard to be successful in life. He went on to work for companies like General Bell Company in Illinois, and Grumman Aerospace in New York where he met his 2nd wife and mother of his children, Yvonne Waters. Wayne and Yvonne raised 2 children together, Felicia and Ayiesha. Despite divorcing in 1982, Wayne would often refer to Yvonne as his favorite ex-wife. They were best friends. Wayne eventually moved to California working for McDonnell Douglas. Yvonne, Felicia, and Ayiesha followed soon after.

After settling in California for a few years, McDonnell Douglas offered Wayne a position in Arizona. The company later became Bowing. He moved from California to Arizona and immediately began to settle in permanently and establish his life. He met his 3rd wife Earline and was briefly married to her as he started to build his life in Arizona. Wayne started to make strong connection, build friendships, and became active in various communities in Arizona. He also started to seriously pursue his passion for photography, taking classes and learning from his best friend and mentor, Arnold Williams. His daughter, Felicia and Ayiesha would spend summers with him.

In January of 1992, wayne met his true soulmate, Linda. in a shoe store. They were married May 29, 1993 and were inseparable. Their families joined together and Wayne gained 3 wonderful bonus children, Rashad, Nicole, and Shaun who he loved unconditionally.

Linda and Wayne were best friends and could finish each other's sentences. They were two puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together. Where there was Wayne, there was Linda. They were always together and anyone who was around them knew how much they loved and supported each other. Their marriage, their union, and their friendship was inspiring to everyone who knew them. Wayne affectionately called Linda his "Muffin".

Wayne retired from Boeing after 25 years in 2010. He loved travelling so he and Linda began to take trips across the United States. Trips included a Mexican Riviera cruise, and Alaskan cruise, and a 28-day cross-country trip through numerous states such as New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, ALabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florisa to name a few. Their favorite trips were to Buffalo, NY to visit with his mom, Texas to visit his son, daughter-i-law and grandchildren, and California to visit his daughter, his brother and sister-in-law and California friends.

Wayne's heart was for photography. He loved taking pictures. He was a member of the Arizona Professional Photographers' Association and was proud to do jobs for various organizations including Alpha Kappa Sorority, Incorporated, Jack and Jill of a America, The Links organization, The Boys and Girls Club, Well Fargo, Bank of America and many more. These jobs many times were with his best friends Arne. He photographed events such as the Fiesta Bowl, the Veteran's Day Parade, jazz festivals and performing arts shows. He served on the board of the Black Theater Troupe and was the official photographer for the Precision Dance Company-a dance company owned by his daughter Felicia. He often captured photos of many celebrities including Tiger Woods, Angela Bassett, Jesse Jackson, Danny Glover, and President Barack Obama. He served diligently as a reporter and photographer for the Arizona Informant and took pride in every photo he took, making sure it was picture perfect.

Wayne was the life of any party. Everyone loved when he shared the many exciting stories of his life adventures. He seemed to know everyone, and everyone seemed to know him. He made friends wherever he went. He made people feel valued and appreciated. And, of course, he made people laugh. If you called him on the phone he may answer "Joe's Pool Hall" and if you asked him how he was he would say "my usual excellent self".

Was was preceded in death by his father Ray Parham, his mother Beatrice Stenson. He leaves to mourn his passing his beautiful wife LInda of 29 years; 3 daughters Felicia Vann (Robert), Ayiesha Parham, and Nicole Thomas; 2 sons, Shaun McEwen (Arian) and Rashad Muhammad (Felicia); his brother Douglas Ray Parham (Vanessa), his sister Sharon Ellen Amapakabo (Barnabas), 12 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews cousins, and a treasure of friends.

A visitation for Wayne will be held Saturday, November 26, 2022 at 11:00 AM at Lakeshore Mortuary, 1815 South Dobson Road, Mesa, AZ 85202, followed by a funeral service at 12:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.LakeshoreMort.com for the Parham family.