Wayne Stanley Groene, 83, of Fort Madison, IA, passed away on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at Birkwood Village in Ft. Madison.
He was born on January 28, 1943 and was the oldest son of Wilfred and Jeanette (Steffensmeier) Groene. On August 1, 1964 he married Alice Jane Cowles at Sacred Heart Church in Ft. Madison. They remained married for 56 years until Alice’s passing on April 30, 2020.
Wayne retired from JI Case after over thirty years of employment where he was an active member of UAW Local 807. After retirement, he continued to work for Burlington Installation Corporation. He was a member of Holy Family Parish and proudly served in the Iowa National Guard. He could frequently be found in his garage tinkering on various projects or enjoying the company of any of his siblings or friends who happened to stop by. He particularly enjoyed assisting his brothers and sisters with their home projects and working with his brothers on the “The Groene Brothers” pick-up.
He is survived by his daughter, Deborah (Joseph) Groene-Itri of Scituate, MA; his son, Mark (Kathy) Groene of O’Fallon, MO; and his grandchildren, Rachael and Ryan Groene; four brothers, Wendell (Nancy) Groene, Wesley (Linda) Groene, Wilmer (Sharon) Groene and Walter Groene all of Ft. Madison; three sisters, Wilma Denning of Ft. Madison, Wilda (Mike) Lampe of Indianola and Wynette Emmett of Ft. Madison as well as several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Alice.
The family will meet with friends on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at King-Lynk Funeral Home from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Funeral services for Wayne will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. at King-Lynk Funeral Home & Crematory with Rev. Gary Beckman officiating. Burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery. A memorial has been established for Holy Family Parish and online condolences may be left at www.kinglynk.com.
