Siek, Wayne

Dr. Wayne H. Siek of Albuquerque, New Mexico died peacefully at home where he lived with his daughter on October 21, 2021. He was surrounded by love.

He was born in Bensenville, Illinois on April 22, 1930. He excelled in academics and sports and worked hard as a young boy to help his family through the Great Depression.

After graduating from Bensenville High School, Wayne enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to fight in the Korean military action. He served his country as a forward observer, during which he found himself behind enemy lines and made his way through dangerous, violent conditions back to American held territory with intelligence of North Korean movements. He received medals from the U.S. Army for his actions.

Following his honorable discharge from the Army, Wayne worked in construction and used the G.I. Bill to pursue his education. He was the first of his family at that time to attend college. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in Linguistics and English Literature.

For most of his career in academia, Wayne was a Professor of English and Chair of the English Department at Indiana University Northwest. He loved teaching the non-traditional students who also worked in factories and steel mills from the surrounding areas of Gary, as he could help those students from blue-collar backgrounds (like his own) who wanted an education. He also led creativewriting and poetry discussions in the evenings and continued to pursue his ground-breaking scholarship on the paleography, orthography, and pronunciation of the language in works by Sir Thomas Wyatt. A notable career highlight of his are his editorial contributions to the Oxford English Dictionary. He was well-loved and respected by his students and colleagues.

Wayne retired to farmland outside Kankakee, Illinois, where he resided with his two dogs and numerous cats. In recent years, Wayne lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico near to, and then with, his daughter and her family.

He is survived by his son Adam Siek, his daughter Alexandra Siek-Garcia, his daughter-in-law Heidi Siek, his son-in-law Jose J. Garcia, and his granddaughters Hannah Siek and Lucy Siek-Garcia, beloved nieces and nephews; and his former wife, Dr. Barbara Siek, with whom he remained good friends until his death. He is predeceased by his beloved family members, including his parents, Clarice Siek (Tanke) and Walter Siek; sisters Susan Siek and Donna Johnson; brother-in-law Earl Johnson; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins; and the many animal companions he loved so dearly. Wayne should be remembered as a scholar who valued the life of the mind, a FDR-era liberal, a fearless advocate for human and animal rights, and staunch supporter of environmental and conservancy efforts. He was kind, funny, charming, ridiculously brave and daring, and was a fantastic singer and actor. Most of all, he will be remembered as a loving father, devoted brother, and family man. We love him dearly and miss him terribly, always, as he forges ahead on his next great adventure.

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