Wayne M. Kankelfitz, 80, of Kerrville, passed away on August 18, 2025 in Kerrville.

Memorial services will be held August 29, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Grimes Funeral Chapels.

Born May 15, 1945 in Wausau, Wisconsin to Arnold and Mabel Kankelfitz, Wayne was named in honor of his uncle, Martin, who gave his life for our country in WW II. Wayne joined his five-year old sister, Vida Ann, and four years later his brother, Ronald, joined the family.

He attended Trinity Lutheran Grade School, Horace Mann Junior High and Wausau High School. He graduated with an accounting degree from Wausau Technical Institute. He joined the Air Force in 1966. Took his basic and tech training in Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas. Was then stationed at Luke Air Force Base near Phoenix, Arizona for the rest of his enlistment. The Air Force utilized his accounting degree and assigned him to budgeting.

After leaving the Air Force in 1970, he went back to Wausau looking for a job and found none. His college sent him to Milwaukee on job interviews. He was hired at Harnischfeger Corporation in the cost accounting department. He met his future wife, Patti, there. They married in 1972 and settled in Greenfield, Wisconsin. He held many and varied accounting and management positions around the Milwaukee area. He retired from Allstates Trucking in 2010 as CFO.

In 1995, they went on their first cruise and Wayne was hooked. They went on cruises many times after that. Grand Cayman Island was his favorite. He would get off the ship, grab a taxi and head to a beach where he would get some sun. He always came home with a good suntan.

After retirement, he and Patti started coming to Texas for part of the winter to get away from the cold and snow of Wisconsin. They fell in love with the Hill Country and moved to Texas in 2015. He loved the warm weather and the sunny skies.

Wayne enjoyed attending the Symphony of the Hills Orchestra, plays at the VK Garage Theater as well as plays at the Point Theater. He especially liked all the many and varied restaurants around Kerrville.

He kept busy feeding the birds and squirrels who came to the deck off the kitchen. He especially liked seeing the hummingbirds. Mysteries were his favorite books and doing word searches kept his mind sharp.

Wayne volunteered with the Peterson Hospice and visited with fellow veterans who were in hospice. He also helped out with Bingo at the Kerrville VA. He was active in the Bandera American Legion.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Patricia, his sister, Vida Ann Wendt, his brother, Ronald (Susan) Kankelfitz, both of Wausau, and many other relatives and friends in Wisconsin and Texas.

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