Wayne Lee Heckrotte

Wayne earned an MBA with the help of the US Airforce where he served as a code-breaker and Bulgarian linguist, sang in his first a cappella quartet, and has maintained friendships with his fellow linguists for 60 years.

Wayne has always sung, lending his tenor voice to solos, quartets, and choral groups. His proudest accomplishments were singing with a quartet formed by members of the Columbia Pro Cantare, and singing in concert with Dave Brubeck and the King’s Singers while with the Baltimore Symphony Chorus.

Wayne was an ardent baseball fan and supporter of the Baltimore Orioles, where he served as president of the Oriole Advocates and worked with the Advocates and their Charitable Foundation to facilitate kids’ baseball activities both in the US and South America.

While Wayne’s career was in managing computer projects, he was also a natural and engaging teacher. He taught college-level computer classes while working. In retirement, Wayne was an active teacher for the Osher Lifelong Learning Center in Jacksonville, FL, where he created and taught many classes on history and baseball, his two favorite subjects.

As I have talked to friends and family after Wayne’s passing, I realize that his greatest accomplishment was sharing himself and his many talents with all who knew him. I can think of no better tribute for Wayne!

Wayne is survived by his his wife Carol, two sons, Marc (and wife Lynne) and Michael, his sisters Gayle and Lynnda, his step-children Katie and John, seven loving grandchildren, Neil, Kiran, Jackson, Jamison, J.T., Addie and Farrell and his first wife, Judy Ganz.

Memorial donations can be made in his memory to: www.orioleadvocates.org/charitable-foundation.html

McAlister-Smith Funeral and Cremation, 1520 Rifle Range Road, Mount Pleasant, SC 29462, 843-884-3833.