Wayne H. Coloney died at his home on March 11, just four days short of his 90th birthday. A natural leader and a kind man, he was loved and respected by his family and friends and by his business, social, and civic associates. In his last week he said, "How to die a happy man--BE a happy man. And I am dying a happy man." He will be sorely missed, but we do not mourn his death. We celebrate his life.
Wayne Myron Herndon Coloney revelled in every minute of his 89 years including those of trial and tribulation. He cherished his wife Anne and attributed his life and successes to her love and support. His proudest achievement was their marriage of 64 years. Anne preceded him in death on September 12, 2014.
Born on one of the Coloney family citrus groves in Manatee County, near Bradenton, Florida, he looked back fondly on his first six years when the grove house he and his family lived in got its water from a pitcher pump on the back porch, its light from kerosene lamps, its heat from fire places, and when his mother cooked on a wood burning stove. During those first years he was tended by Aunt Amy and Uncle Frank whom he loved as dearly as his parents. Then in their mid to late seventies both had been born into slavery in the mid 1850s. Aunt Amy ruled him and his younger brother, Warren, with a loving, but firm, hand and demanded obedience, honesty and courtesy. If either of the brothers even appeared to misbehave, she would say, “Boy! You stop that or I’ll snatch you bald headed.”
Wayne came from a military family with direct and lineal ancestors who fought in the French and Indian wars, with Rogers Rangers in the Revolution, The Mexican War and the Civil War during which his great grandfather on his mother’s side commanded a battalion of black troops. His great grandfather on his father’s side was fatally wounded in 1864, at the Battle of Weldon Railroad, Virginia.
His father saw combat in World War I and World War II, and served on active duty during the Korean War having risen from Apprentice Seaman in 1914 to Rear Admiral in 1952.
During World War II, Wayne served in Europe with Company C, 714th Tank Battalion, 12th Armored Division rising from Private to Sergeant Tank Commander by combat attrition. As C Company tanks were destroyed and men were wounded and killed, the experienced men were promoted. At nineteen, he was one of the “old men” of the Company, and was commanding a tank in battle. His Battalion spearheaded General George Patton’s drive to the Rhine and on to the Danube River. He returned to the States a decorated veteran with three bronze stars.
After the war Wayne began his stellar civil engineering career with study at Georgia Tech. He graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade average, the highest record in the history of Georgia Tech . While pursuing his studies he followed a lifelong passion and supported himself as a professional magician. At that time he was the world's youngest member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
Following his graduation Wayne moved to Tallahassee and served as State Highway Engineer with the Florida State Road Department. In 1950 he married Anne Elizabeth Benedict, and their daughter Mary Adore was born in 1951. In 1954 the family moved to Guatemala, where Wayne worked in the remote jungles as a designer of the Pan American Highway .
Wayne continued his engineering career in Tampa as Chief Engineer with Gibbs & Hill, then as Associate Partner with J.E. Greiner Company. He returned to Tallahassee as a partner in the firm of Barrett, Daffin, Bishop, and Coloney. He then established Wayne H. Coloney Company Consulting Engineers, which specialized in municipal engineering and eminent domain, then expanded into innovative machine design and production. The Coloney Company became a significant military contractor producing weapons handling systems, including an ammunition loader for the A-10 close air support aircraft. At that time the Coloney Company was the largest private employer in Tallahassee, with a staff of 350. Wayne later sold the manufacturing arm to the Howden Group of Scotland, and served as Director/Vice President of Howden Coloney Inc. and Deputy Chairman of Howden Airdynamics America. He retained the engineering arm as Coloney Company Consulting Engineers, specializing in Forensic Engineering. As president of this company he testified in court cases across the United States. He was co-founder of Coloney Von Soosten + Associates and Principal of Aurora Management Partners, Inc.; president of The Clarion Corporation; president of Sonitrol GmBh, Munich, Germany and Sonitrol (UK) Ltd., London. In 1996 he chose John T. Bell, PE as his successor at Coloney Company Consulting Engineers, and the company became Coloney Bell Engineering. Wayne continued to play an active part in the company as Principal Engineer until he retired at the age of 87.
Wayne was widely published and held several patents. He was named Regional Small Business Person of the Year, Southeast US; Florida Small Business Person of the Year; and was a Jimmy Doolittle Fellow, Aerospace Education Foundation. He was listed in a number of biographical publications including "Who's Who in Engineering", "Who's Who in America", and "Who's Who in the World". Wayne was a mentor t hroughout his career , and his most important advice was "No deal is a good deal unless everyone wins". In spite of his many achievements, he was a very modest man and advised, "Never take yourself too seriously. The worst thing in the world is to think you're something".
Wayne was a leading member of many, many organizations. He was a founding member, director, and president of Springtime Tallahassee, as well as a Krewe Chief and Brigadier General on Andrew Jackson's Staff. He was a founding member of The Governors Club; founding member and president of the Colonels of Tallahassee; founding member, director, and president of The Florida Heritage Foundation; director and vice president of LeMoyne Art Foundation; director and president of The United Fund and of the Metropolitan Dinner Club . He was a director of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and Good Will Industries; and president of the Florida Small Business Association; He was a member of the Governing Council and president of the Bud West chapter of the Air Force Association. Among Wayne's other civic memberships were the Tallahassee 100 Club, Tiger Bay Club, American Legion, James Madison Institute, and the Tallahassee Kiwanis Club. He was appointed by the Governor of Florida to councils including the Energy Resource Task Force, Small Business Advisory Council, Committee for Historic and Cultural Preservation, and Council on Military Education. He was appointed Vice Chairman by the Governor to the Commission for Purchase from the Blind. He was appointed by the President of the United States to the President's Advisory Council on Industrial Innovation and was a member of the White House Conference on Small Business.
A true Renaissance man, Wayne took great pleasure in social and cultural life as well as business. He and his wife Anne were extremely knowledgeable in the field of antiques and amassed a collection respected by national authorities. An early proponent of historic preservation, he and Anne relocated the historic 1830 Argyle-Walker House and rehabilitated it for their residence as an example of the potential of preservation of historic structures instead of destruction. Over the course of their marriage their homes and gardens were genuine showplaces and were the subject of a number of magazine and news articles as well as television features. Accompanied by Anne, Wayne traveled for business and pleasure throughout the US, South and Central America, England, and Europe. A longtime car enthusiast, Wayne competed with his Jaguar XKE in autocross races and drove a variety of collector cars. Wayne was a staunch supporter of Florida State University, Anne's alma mater. He was a Golden Chief and a major contributor to the Florida State University Foundation. Last month he was honored by University President Barron at the James D. Westcott Legacy Society's annual luncheon, where he received a standing ovation. He was a committed member and strong supporter of St. Peter's Anglican Church.
Wayne was very proud to be a World War II combat veteran. He donated his WW II papers and memorabilia to the Florida State University Institute on WW II to further the study of the war and the memory of those who fought in it. He was invited to speak on his experiences in many venues, and his accounts have been preserved in the University of Florida World War II Oral History Collection. In 2014 Wayne participated in Honor Flight Tallahassee, flying to Washington, DC with other veterans where national leaders paid tribute to their service.
Wayne was a gregarious man who truly liked people. He enjoyed good company and made friends wherever he went. Whether it was office or restaurant, store, barbershop, pharmacy, grocery--every place he was a regular--staff members and a great number of customers were close and dear friends. One of his greatest pleasures was starting the day at 6 AM at Village Inn. Coffee, breakfast, and warm and friendly conversation with staff and fellow breakfasters started his days with joy and pleasure. Less than a week before his death he was laughing with his Village Inn friends and savoring his favorite breakfast.
Wayne's daughter, Mary Adore Coloney, owns a resort farm in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, and his grandson Michael Galen Minardi, former Captain, U.S. Army, lives in Crawfordville. His sister-in-law, Barbara Gunnarson Coloney, lives in Bethesda, Maryland; his nephew Stephen C. Coloney, is in London, England; his niece Margaret Coloney Curry, is in Gaithersburg, Maryland; and his niece Catherine Coloney Heffley lives in Kensington, Maryland. Anne's brother, George E. Benedict, III, lives in Wilmington, North Carolina. Her nephew George E. Benedict, IV, is in Apex, North Carolina and her nephew Greg Benedict lives in Long Beach, California. Anne's cousins Charles E. Benedict and Judy McGinnis live in Tallahassee, and Mary Ann Benedict Clark resides in Monticello.
At 11:00 AM on Friday, March 20, Wayne’s funeral service will be held at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 4784 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309. Friends and family may gather from 5:00 to 8:00 PM on Thursday, March 19 at Culley’s Meadowwood Funeral Home, 1737 Riggins Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32308. Instead of flowers, contributions will be welcomed by St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 4784 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee, Florida 32309 or Westminster Oaks BAE, Westminster Foundation, 80 West Lucerne Circle, Orlando, Florida.
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