Wayne W. Kuch

October 7, 1943 - June 8, 2019

Wayne was born on October 7, 1943 in Hazen, ND to Walter and Frieda Kuch. When Wayne was six weeks old, his family relocated to Newberg where he lived until he graduated from Newberg High School in 1962. He served in the United States Army for three years. He married Marian Kirsch of St. Paul from nine miles down the road at the St. Paul Catholic Church in 1967. He earned an associate degree in electronics from Chemeketa Community College and worked for many years at Tektronix. He retired in 2002 while working at Maxim Integrated Products. He lived all of his civilian life in the Willamette Valley, mostly in St. Paul. Wayne enjoyed fishing and camping and spent many nights in a tent, camper or trailer all over Oregon with Marian and friends. He enjoyed tinkering in his shop and could often be found there doing nothing in particular. He was an active member of the St. Paul community, volunteering hundreds of hours to groups such as the St. Paul City Council and Budget Committee, St. Paul Booster Club, St. Paul Parish and St. Paul Rodeo. He was an uncomplicated man who spoke kindly, enjoyed a good clean joke, and stayed heads-down and focused while working on a task. Wayne died peacefully on June 8, 2019 in Woodburn, OR at the age of 75 after a long battle with dementia. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Marian, daughters Mary Kuch (Portland, OR) and Cindy Smith (Ben), grandsons Ethan and Adam Smith all of St. Paul, brothers Gene (Janice) and Jerry (Judy), both of Salem. He was preceded in death by his parents. A funeral was held on Thursday, June 13, at 10:30 am at St. Paul Catholic Church in St. Paul immediately followed by interment at the St. Paul Cemetery and lunch at the St. Paul Community Hall. All are warmly welcomed and invited to attend. Donations may be made in Wayne’s memory to the St. Paul Parochial School General Fund at PO Box 188, St. Paul, OR 97137. Through this site, we invite you to share your thoughts and fond memories with his family.