Wayne C. Slayton, 73, of Beaver Dam, formerly of West Bend died Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison. He was born July 26, 1939 in Washburn County to the late Albert and Arvilla (nee Evans) Slayton and married Darlene Wallace on Oct. 20, 1962, in Hayward. She preceded him in death on March 13, 2003.

Wayne and Darlene moved to West Bend in 1964 and he worked at the West Bend Company for over 25 years. He followed his dream and opened Wayne’s Sport Shop in Barton. Wayne continued in sales at Fleet and Farm in West Bend until his retirement.

He was a very proud grandfather and enjoyed watching his grandchildren play football, wrestle, and perform on stage. He was an avid outdoorsman and liked to watch the Brewers and Packers. More recently if you saw Wayne, he most likely had his dog Spike with him.

Wayne is survived by his two sons, Jeffrey (Jackie) of Beaver Dam and James (Tami) of West Bend; 11 grandchildren, Sierra Davis, Natasha (Brian) Thompson, Kenneth, Brianna, Brooke, Blake, Emily, Austin, Jeremy, Tim and Roger Slayton; and two great-grandchildren Max and Ian Thompson. He is further survived by his siblings, Dorothy Wellskof of West Allis, Eleanor Holmes of Fond du Lac, Darlene (Norbert) Gundry of Stone Lake and Judy Munson of West Bend; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Groat of Hayward; a brother-in-law, Marvin Brandt of Hazelhurst; and nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

Wayne was preceded in death by his parents Albert and Arvilla, his wife Darlene, his son Donny and two sisters Lorraine Moore and Beverly Slayton.

Funeral services will be held Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, at 7 p.m. at the Schmidt Funeral Home in West Bend with Dan Schroeder officiating. The visitation will be at the funeral home from 4-6:45 p.m. Funeral services will then be held on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013, at 11 a.m. at the Dahl Funeral Home in Spooner with burial following in Earl Cemetery in Earl. Visitation on Wednesday will begin at 9 a.m. at the Dahl Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the American Cancer Society are appreciated.

The Schmidt Funeral Home in West Bend is serving the family.

Online guestbook and condolences are available at www.schmidtfuneralhome.com.