R. Wayne Stockdale, 85, formerly of Cornelius NC, passed away Saturday, September 3, 2016, in Evergreen Place, Manchester, NH. Born in Rockford, IL on March 23, 1931, he was the only child of Bruce and Mary Marcella (Vosberg) Stockdale. Wayne grew up in Rockford, and attained the level of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America. He served his country proudly as a member of the U.S Air Force. It was in the Air Force that he discovered his love for photography. He would often have a camera at the ready on his many hiking and hunting trips through the mountains. Wayne was employed as an engineer at IBM for 30 years and was one of the original engineers to work on bar code scanners and the technology used to shrink circuit boards. His engineering work was not exclusive to Earth as he had a part in projects from Apollo 2 up until the Shuttle Program. As part of the Moon Lander project, his name can be found on an engraved plaque, which was left on the Moon. During his time in NC, he was an active member of St. Therese Church. Wayne enjoyed writing and was an avid storyteller. He was known for his bad jokes that tended to end with a groan rather than a laugh.
Wayne is survived by six children, Linda (Rich) Nestor, Kim (Peter) Jones, Randy Wishinsky, Bruce Stockdale, Terry (Sandy) Stockdale and Renee (Mike) Decker; ten grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
In lieu of flowers, due to family allergies, donations can be made in Wayne’s name to Daniel Webster Counsel, Manchester, NH of the Boy Scouts of America. A family only service was held at St. Mark’s in NH on Sept. 7th. A public service is scheduled for Oct. 28th at St. Therese in Mooresville, NC. Mass will be held at 11:00 followed by a luncheon. The Peabody Funeral Home & Crematorium is assisting the family with arrangements.