Wayne McCoy Poteat, 82, of St. Charles, IL, formerly of Charleston, S.C., passed away peacefully on July 8, 2011 at his home with his family by his side. He was born January 18, 1929 in Bessemer City, N.C., the son of Eugene Justice and Sarah (Darnell) Poteat. He was united in marriage to Shirley McClain on December 22, 1956 in Charleston, S.C. They have been members of Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles since 1976. For the past twenty years, Wayne and Shirley have spent their winters on Sanibel Island, FL. He was a loving husband, father, and friend. He will be greatly missed. Wayne attended the College of Charleston in South Carolina before being drafted into the Army in 1950. He proudly served in the Korean War for two years. Upon his discharge, he enrolled in the Citadel Military College of South Carolina, graduating in 1957 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He began his career at Western Electric in Winston Salem, N.C. in 1957. He was transferred to Bell Telephone Labs in 1961 as a member of the Technical Staff where he worked in Research and Development for the military. After moving to St. Charles in 1976, he received his Masters Degree in Computer Science and worked in Communications until his retirement in 1989. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Shirley; four daughters, Cheryl Buchanon of Florida, Nancy (Jeff) Mulder of Hawthorn Woods, IL, Sandra (Pete) Obenauf of St. Charles, IL, and Helen (John) Sypien of St. Charles, IL; ten grandchildren, Stacey, James, Stephanie, Ryan, Shannon, Jeffrey, Phillip, Michael, Taylor, and John (J), one great-grandson, Kage; two brother, Samuel Eugene Poteat of Virginia and Donald Wade Poteat of Charleston, S.C.; and one sister, Aloma Poteat Ostendorf of Charleston, S.C. He is preceded in death by his parents. A memorial service will be held at 11 A.M. on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Avenue, St. Charles, IL 60174. Rev. Al Patton will officiate. Interment will be private. Memorials in Wayne’s memory may be directed to Baker Memorial United Methodist Church or CNS Home Health and Hospice, 690 E. North Avenue, Suite 100, Carol Stream, IL 60188. For information, contact Moss-Norris Funeral Home 630-584-2000 or www.mossfuneral.com. Visit our guestbook at www.postandcourier.com/ deaths. Tags: 1957
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