Wayne

He liked sports:

playing and watching; played soccer in South America and at BYU, played football in high school (kicker), basketball at the YMCA and in church ball, softball (church, pitcher); track--in high school and Jr college he was a high hurdler and pole vaulter; watching football on TV or in person, basketball, the same. Fun for us when we were young was going to a Dodgers game or a good track meet.

He knew sports statistics, period, whatever the sport.

He liked to cook:

didn't get to do it much--time and his wife got in the way of it. He did not like to clean up after cooking, and that's why his wife grumbled about his cooking. He made the pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving, always trying it a different way. The only time anyone didn't like his pie was when his wife convinced him to make one with tofu.

He liked to eat:

his mother's apple pie, my mother's custard pie; bread pudding, tapioca pudding; jelly beans and gum drops, any kind of cookie (especially what I called "no taste" cookies); and he loved ginger snaps, which he would dip in his glass of milk;

tamale pie, Spanish rice, tuna casserole--said he would like one of those dishes every week, but he didn't get his way there, partly because his kids hated tuna casserole;

Chinese food at the Midway Lunch; potatoes and gravy, pizza, maybe sushi; split pea soup, my chili, pork chops with apple sauce, a fried egg sandwich. He wasn't really picky, except he would not eat certain things. Ever. (See below.)

He did not like:

the three As--artichoke, asparagus, avocado--artichoke he wouldn't bother with--it might choke Artie but it won't choke me, he would say; asparagus, I don't know, just not something he liked the look of, I guess; avocado, he hated the taste and especially the feel of it in his mouth; broccoli took years to find its way to his stomach; I never saw him eat spinach; not big on vegetables generally--keep it simple: corn, peas, beans;

and he did not like confrontation.

He liked:

a good joke, and he could tell one; being the center of attention (trust me on this), the time he played the lead in Caldwell Stake's play--they did Cheaper By the Dozen--was a favorite for him, and he was a natural;

to win, and who doesn't? And if he thought he would lose at a parlor game--like Trivial Pursuit-- he wouldn't play, just sit in the other room and call out answers, to the irritation of those who were playing. He especially hated losing to his wife;

to sing; sang in a quartet in Santa Monica, in Caldwell, in Boise; played saxophone in elementary school, played the recorder, sort of played the banjo he bought for himself, two hymns on the piano;

a good-looking tie;

to come home and sit in his chair; and apparently he liked wearing his down coat in the house, ours and anyone else's. I would have to tell him to take off his coat;

to read the paper, Reader's Digest, National Geographic; he had a lot of information in his head.

He was a good problem solver,

just give him a little time or overnight and he would have the answer.

He was not:

a hugger; outwardly demonstrative of his emotions.

He liked his kids,

held them when they were babies, went to their games and concerts, took them fishing and camping on occasion; took them around on their morning paper routes; he liked it when they came to him for counsel or advice; he was generous with his children, when he finally had money; a bit stingy with his wife.

He wanted to be:

a doctor, hence his lifelong interest in things medical; recognized as somebody, you know, for his accomplishments; a gentleman farmer, which answers why we moved to Idaho and why we had chickens, then goats, steers for the beef, a raspberry patch, fruit trees, and a big garden. Well, I had something to do with those things, too.

He was:

tall, good looking, a conservative dresser--he looked very good in a suit;

funny, corny, clever, sometimes lazy;

not perfect, but he was very good.